President George W. Bush Declares Emergency Rule

This was a satiric essay I wrote on Dailykos, November 3, 2007- It was marked as satire (snark) at the end and there was a future date at the beginning to indicate it was not real.   The comments were extensive, many believing that it was true.   When one person said that he expected it would happen, I clearly said as much as I detest President Bush, I didn't think so.
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Provisional Constitution Instituted, Leader Expected to Address Nation Saturday

The Washington Post
Saturday, February 13, 2008; 2:11 PM

President George W. Bush declared emergency rule Saturday, suspending the constitution and removing the Supreme Court chief justice from office.
"The chief of army staff has proclaimed a state of emergency and issued a provisional constitutional order," a newscaster on state television said in announcing the decree, which referred to President George W. Bush as Commander in Chief of the Military and did not mention his dual role as president.

The declaration referred to a "visible ascendancy in the activities of extremists and incidents of terrorist attacks . . . and the banding together of some militant groups." It also cited "an unprecedented level" of violence that poses "a grave threat to the life and property of the citizens of The United States."  No specific mention was made of the terrorist bombings of Los Angeles and Chicago last week.
President George W. Bush was expected to address the nation later Saturday.
While other television news stations in The United States were blacked out Saturday evening, only Fox News ran segments in which pro-government analysts criticized political opponents and the independent media for not backing President George W. Bush at a time of crisis.

Political analysts said that by suspending the constitution and removing Supreme Court justices, President George W. Bush had essentially declared martial law, even if he was not calling it that. One columnist, who asked his name be withheld stated:

"He's pretty much carrying out a second coup,"   "For all practical purposes, it is direct military rule. And he becomes the supreme ruler of The United States. There's no constitutional limit on him because he's set aside the constitution.

The first coup was bloodless, and no one prevented the signing statements and defiance of law that was the hallmark of his first seven years in office. 

“What is ironic is that he is using the constitution to eliminate the constitution.  President George W. Bush's stated reasons for declaring an emergency were misleading. "It has nothing to do with the insurgency," he said. "It has to do with President George W. Bush's political survival."

Secretary of Defense Gates, who had been a  close adviser to President Bush, until his resignation yesterday, said the steps amounted to "de facto martial law." He said he had repeatedly tried to persuade the president against the measures in recent days but was outvoted within President George W. Bush's inner circle.

Gates predicted that the moves would be disastrous for President George W. Bush and for the country. "The way forward has to be democratic and constitutional. Any other course is a recipe for disaster. More importantly, it will not be accepted by the people of The United States and it will not work," he said.

According to Gates, President George W. Bush convened a meeting of his top advisers and cabinet members on Wednesday to discuss their options and that 20 of 25 were in favor of emergency rule.

The key voice for declaring the state of emergency came from Attorney General Mukasey, who forcefully articulated the exact words that he had spoken during his confirmation hearing.  “No law supersedes the obligation of the president to defend the country.  This abrogation of the constitution is implicit in the words of this document when he is acting for the good of the country.” he went on to state, "The fact of my confirmation shows approval of this principle and validates the action of the President."

Senators, Dianne Feinstein of California and Charles E. Schumer of New York, the two Democrats who allowed Mr. Mukasey to gain office have not been available for comment.

President Bush appointed as the new chief justice, Associate Justice Atonin Scalia, to take the place of John Roberts, whose whereabouts remained unknown Saturday night. In addition to the other dissenting judges were also removed Saturday. The four remaining judges signed new oaths and have been sworn in to a new panel.

Hundreds of police and army rangers set up multiple checkpoints in and around Pennsylvania Avenue, the wide, leafy boulevard where the president's house, the Congress building and the Supreme Court all are situated. Agents from Blackwater International have been identified as manning some key intersections. 

At one of the checkpoints, dozens of President George W. Bush opponents began to gather in an apparently spontaneous display of anger at the emergency declaration, shouting " President George W. Bush must go!"

It is unknown how long the Washington Post will continue to publish, as a new edict to require prior approval is being drafted that must be signed by all media outlets.  It is doubtful that this paper will accede to this requirement.-----------------
My first coment:

It can't happen here, can it??? (53+ / 0-)

This was easy, too easy to do with a few global find and replace from the article on the Pakistan Martial Law edict.
And the Attorney General would find it perfectly legal based on his testimony.

by arodb on Sat Nov 03, 2007 at 12:18:58 PM PST