May 26, 2006 -- What if the United States experienced a constitutional crisis and no one reported it? The recent statements by House Speaker Dennis Hastert that the Bush White House was overstepping its constitutional separation of powers bounds by allowing the FBI to storm into a member of Congress' office and then "leaking" Justice Department information to intimidate the Speaker after he publicly complained about the raid indicate that this nation is experiencing a drastic constitutional crisis. The fact that the corporate media is not reporting this crisis is understandable when one considers that social studies (once called "civics") in this nation's education system is relegated to an afterthought and our corporate media talking heads and stenographers have as much knowledge of the U.S. Constitution as anyone who has ever passed a high school GED. Hastert was joined in his criticism of the White House by the Republican Majority Leader in the Senate Bill Frist and the House Majority Leader John Boehner. When one considers that Hastert is the third ranking constitutional officer of the United States, his stark criticisms of White House unconstitutional behavior (regardless of Hastert's possible involvement in illegal campaign contributions), exceed anything this nation witnessed in Watergate. In that case, we were talking about impeachment, partly for White House-sanctioned break-ins of Democratic National headquarters and Daniel Ellsberg's psychiatrist's office. Never once did House Speaker Carl Albert complain about the Nixon administration trying to break into the offices of congressmen. Nor did Senate Majority Leader Mike Mansfield or House Majority Leader Tip O'Neill ever breach such concerns.
A number of Democrats have welcomed Hastert's sudden realization that the Constitution and the separation of powers clause is now under assault by the unitary fascist executive created by the neo-cons. But some Republicans continue to support Bush. These include the core of the Christian evangelical-Ziocon alliance, most evident by anti-Hastert comments from Senators David Vitter (R-LA) and Norm Coleman (R-MN), respectively.
It is now clear, even to the Republican leadership in Congress, that the neo-cons are an anti-constitutional blight upon our nation. The true and most loyal neo-con agents of influence in Congress have now identified themselves (Vitter, Coleman, Lieberman, Cornyn, Kyl, etc.). It is high time for them and the Democrats to initiate impeachment proceedings against this criminal gang and return this nation to normalcy and democracy. Hastert has it in his power to not only eliminate Bush and Cheney through impeachment, but he can replace them as a caretaker president until the 2008 election. That would be the best outcome in an overall bad situation.