A Madman Has His Finger On The Nuclear Button: Be Afraid - Be Very Afraid!
- Johnnie Cordero
- Oct 15, 2017
- 7 min read
Madman (noun):
"a man who is mentally ill, or who behaves in a way that seems strange, dangerous, or not controlled." Cambridge Dictionary
When it became clear that Donald Trump was going to be the Republican nominee for President of The United States I told anyone who would listen that my real concern was not that he is a racist, white supremacist, sexist, bully and a con man (he is) but that if elected he would (1) have the power to send American troops into combat anywhere in the world for up 90 days without Congressional approval, and (2) he would have the unilateral power to launch a nuclear attack. At the time a dear friend of mine, who is retired military, said that that could not happen - that there are safeguards built into the system that would not permit it. He now admits that he was dead wrong. But it occurred to me that there are well educated people in this country who do not realize that a madman in the White House can send our young men and women any where he wants or start World War III and no one can stop him. But don't take my word for it.
(1) The War Powers Act
The Act (also known as The War Powers Resolution) requires the President to notify Congress within 48 hours after committing the United States armed forces to military action. The key word is after. The Act further forbids armed forces from remaining for more than 60 days. The 60 day period can be extended for another 30 days to allow withdrawal of troops if necessary. Thereafter the President must have Congressional authorization or a declaration of war by the United States. Have you any idea how much devastation and loss of life can be caused 60 days by the largest and most deadly military power in the history of the world?
Think about it.
In layperson's terms the President can order the armed forces (which includes personnel and materiel) into combat any where in the world and keep them there for total of 90 days (60 days + 30 days for withdrawal) as long as he notifies Congress within 48 hours of committing troops. This is awesome unchecked power when it is considered that the United States with 2,363,675 military personnel has the largest standing army in the world. The United States has 13,762 aircraft including, 2,296 fighter aircraft, 2,785 attack aircraft and 947 attack helicopters. It has 41,000 armored fighting vehicles; 415 naval assets, including 19 aircraft carriers, 63 destroyers, 70 submarines. The military budget is $587.8 billion.
In short, as Commander-in-Chief the President of the United States, pursuant to the War Powers Act, can order troops to be deployed anywhere in the world. Remember we are talking about Donald "Loose Cannon" Trump. Getting nervous yet? Be afraid- be very afraid! There's more.
(2) Can the President Launch A Nuclear Strike?
"In a fit of pique he [Trump] decides to do something about
Kim Jong Un, there's actually very little to stop him ...."
James Clapper
Arguments abound as to whether the so-called safeguards in place such as military chain of command and conferring with the military officials could prevent a unilateral launch attack by a president intent on doing so. But the reality is that if the president issues a launch command it will be followed. The reason for this is that launch responsibility in placed in the hands of one person - the President of the United States. This awesome responsibility is intended to be used under circumstances where the ability to launch must be quick. In fact, the time from command to launch is about five minutes for intercontinental ballistic missiles, and about fifteen minutes for submarine missiles. The missiles cannot be recalled once fired.
James Clapper, the former director of National Intelligence in an interview with Don Lemon of CNN Tonight said: "In a fit of pique he decides to do something about Kim Jong Un, there's actually very little to stop him," and that "The whole system is built to ensure rapid response if necessary. So there's very little in the way of controls over exercising a nuclear option, which is pretty damn scary." Be afraid -be very afraid!
Increasingly political pundits both Republican and Democrat are beginning to question President Trump's fitness to serve on the basis of his mental stability. Senator Bob Corker (R. Tenn) has said that Trump "...lacks stability and competence...." to be president and on another occasion that Trump is setting the country "on the path to World War III."
Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has referred to the President as a "fucking moron." Note that according to Webster's Dictionary a moron is "a very stupid person." Stupid, again according to Webster's "means slow of mind; obtuse; given to unintelligent decisions or acts; acting in an unintelligent or careless manner; lacking intelligence or reason." Now while I am not ready to say the president is nuts it is clear he has a warped view of reality that cannot bode well for America. The man has his finger on the button and the present ability to start World War III - on his own. Either way is this the type person you would entrust the power to destroy the world in a nuclear holocaust?
So what can we do to prevent the possibility that this president may wake up one morning and feel the need to avenge some real or perceived challenge to his authority, intelligence or manhood by Kim Jung Un or some other fellow madman and unleash the missiles of war?
The Twenty-Fifth Amendment
The Twenty-fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution deals with succession to the Presidency and establishes procedures both for filling a vacancy in the office of the Vice President as well as responding to Presidential disabilities.
Section 4 of the Amendment provides in pertinent part that:
4. "Whenever the Vice President and a majority of either the principal officers of the executive departments or of such other body as Congress may by law provide, transmit to the President
pro tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives their written declaration that the President is unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office, the Vice President shall immediately assume the powers and duties of the office as Acting President." But would it really solve the problem? Yes and no. If the President agreed that he was incapacitated and because of the incapacitation never exercised his right to be reinstated the problem would be solved. But what if he/she did not agree and filed notice that he would retake his office? The result would be a true constitutional crisis involving both houses of Congress and ultimately the United States Supreme Court. On the other hand if the President agreed that he was permanently incapacitated he would just resign. Maybe. Either way in the case of an egomaniacal, megalomaniac like Donald Trump we can be sure that he would in his words "punch back harder".
Impeachment
(United States Constitution Article II, Section 4)
"The President, Vice President and all civil Officers of the United States, shall be removed from Office on Impeachment for, and Conviction of, Treason, Bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors."
The president shall be removed on conviction of treason, bribery, or high crimes and misdemeanors. Let us begin by noting that no president has ever been convicted after impeachment. There have been two attempts (Andrew Johnson in 1868 and Bill Clinton in 1998) both failed. But what can a president be impeached for? Basically anything a majority of the House of Representatives agrees on.
President Andrew Johnson was impeached on the charge of high crimes and misdemeanors. Namely violation of the Tenure of Office Act (nine counts) and one count of "making three speeches with intent to show disrespect for the Congress among the citizens of the United States."
President Bill Clinton, on the other hand, was impeached on the charges of perjury (lying to a grand jury) and obstruction of justice. Clearly, perjury and obstruction of justice are impeachable offences.
In the case of President Richard Nixon for whom Articles of Impeachment were actually approved but who resigned before impeachment would have been impeached for obstruction of justice, abuse of power, and contempt of Congress. Given these examples we have violation of an act of Congress, making speeches that are disrepectful of Congress, perjury, obstruction of justice, abuse of power and contempt of Congress as impeachable offences.
As to whether or not these offences are in fact "high crimes and misdemeanors" is irrelevant since the Supreme Court has concluded that such questions are political and therefore nonjusticiable (means the Supreme Court will not review such questions). So whether a president is impeached and tried is a matter solely for determination by a majority of the House (impeachment) and two thirds majority of the Senate (trial). The key word here is a majority simple or extraordinary. At the time of this writing the majorities in both the House and the Senate are Republican. I think the chance of them voting impeachment in the House or conviction in the Senate is remote to non-existent. But assuming the possibility of majority change in the 2018 could the president be impeached? The answer is yes.
In my humble view the impeachment of the president would result in his resignation before any trial could be held. He would claim, of course, that he would have won by a landslide had he decided to fight. If impeachment were truly imminent I believe he would resign. He would never suffer the indignity of being tried in the Senate. President Trump's ego is far too big.
Finally, the results of Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation may still uncover a "smoking gun" the disclosure of which would guarantee the President Trump's resignation.
To summarize:
The President of the United States can unilaterally order American troops into combat any where he wants at any time he wants.
The President of the United Statate can unilaterally launch a nuclear attack.
The 25th Amendment will not succeed in removing the President of the United States under the present circumstances.
Impeachment can force the President of the United States to resign.
The President of the United States is Donald J. Trump, Jr. BE AFRAID - BE VERY AFRAID!
_______________________________________________________Johnnie Cordero holds a Bachelor's degree in Political Science and a Doctorate in Jurisprudence. He is the author of Total Black Empowerment: A Guide to Critical Thinking in the Age of Trump. His new book Theodicy and The Power of the African Will is sheduled for release October 18, 2017.
Be Afraid - Be Very Afraid!