Martin Lewis at the Huffington Post wrote a letter to General Pace this weekend concerning the command of President Bush. In this letter he specifically states that he is not advocating a military coup, but he then goes on to suggest exactly that.

Showing a complete lack of regard for the United States Constitution, as well as an ignorance to the office of the Presidency, here is how Martin Lewis would like General Pace to usurp the powers of President Bush.

You simply invoke the Uniform Code Of Military Justice.

The United States Code: Title 10, Subtitle A, Part II, Chapter 47, Subchapter X, Section 934.

Article 134 reads:

“Though not specifically mentioned in this chapter, all disorders and neglects to the prejudice of good order and discipline in the armed forces, all conduct of a nature to bring discredit upon the armed forces, and crimes and offenses not capital, of which persons subject to this chapter may be guilty, shall be taken cognizance of by a general, special, or summary court-martial, according to the nature and degree of the offense, and shall be punished at the discretion of that court.”

Article 133 reads:

“Any commissioned officer, cadet, or midshipman who is convicted of conduct unbecoming an officer and a gentleman shall be punished as a court-martial may direct.”

A gentleman is understood to have a duty to avoid dishonest acts, displays of indecency, lawlessness, dealing unfairly, indecorum, injustice, or acts of cruelty.

To be crystal clear - I am NOT advocating or inciting you to undertake any illegal act, insurrection, mutiny, putsch or military coup. You are an honorable patriotic man.

I am NOT advocating or inciting you to interfere with any of the civilian duties of the President. That would not be a legal action by you.

However you have the legal responsibility - under Article 134 of the Uniform Code Of Military Justice - to protect the troops under your command by relieving the President of his MILITARY command.

What Mr. Lewis disregards in his argument to remove President Bush as commander in chief is that the President of the United States is not a commissioned officer. The President’s command over the military was granted him by the United States Constitution when he was elected into office. The powers are part of the office and cannot be separated from it. In order to strip the President of his military powers he must be removed from office through impeachment as the Constitution stipulates.

Captain Ed offers more insight into this argument:

Secondly, the President does not serve at the pleasure of the Joint Chiefs — and indeed, the military is subservient to the civilian command structure. They do not have arrest authority over the President — nor over anyone else in the US other than military personnel, as the Posse Comitatus Act stipulates. Civilian oversight keeps the military from seizing power and is a long and vital tradition in this nation. It’s what keeps us from becoming a banana republic, run by military strongmen.

Lewis wants to turn America into just that kind of nation. His Bush-hatred runs so deep that he would willingly see the military take control over the federal government just to get rid of him. The Left likes to talk about supposed fascism among conservatives, but the Huffington Post is literally calling for a military coup to reverse an election, not only an un-Constitutional act but also the kind of authoritarian rule they supposedly despise.

Even the readers of the Huffington Post, which is known to be anti-Bush, disagree with Mr. Lewis as he stands by his original argument:

“Martin, you can’t credibly say that you’re “not advocating a de facto military coup” when you are advocating that very thing in your post. You are asking a general–a general appointed by the commander-in-chief mind you–to unseat his civilian superior, and in that bargain, you’ve just put the U.S. Constitution right on its ear. The UCMJ doesn’t trump the Constitution, it does not apply to elected civilian commanders, and there is no proviso in the Constitution for partial removal of duties. You have impeachment and total removal from office, and that’s the only way you can stop a president. There are no partials here.”

To which Martin replies:

“I utterly reject the use of any force or illegal action of any kind and specifically reject and condemn any calls for it. I do call on General Pace to speak his conscience and to do his ethical, moral duty to his forces and to his nation. Sometimes the right words from a man of courage have a moral impact that resonates.”

The fact is Mr. Lewis, if President Bush were stripped of his powers by anyone other than Congress, a Coup d’état has taken place.

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Congress, Constitution, Iraq, Politics