Patrick Kennedy: “I rise today in defense not of the President but rather of the Presidency. Trent Lott, the majority leader of the…”

“I rise today in defense not of the President but rather of the Presidency. Trent Lott, the majority leader of the Senate, has just spun to the press that, quote-unquote, bad conduct is grounds for impeachment. To me, this is shocking. I actually could not believe that he was serious. But, sadly, he was. Today, we are at a turning point in this debate and we have to put this thing in park and take a break. The removal of the President of the United States is different from the removal of a judge, is different from the removal of a Member of Congress or a college president. The situation cannot be equated, as it often is, with the CEO or a college president who would be removed for similar types of acts that the President is accused of. To remove the President of the United States would be to paralyze the entire government. Because, whereas a judge, a legislator, and certainly not a private citizen represents an entire branch of government, the President is the executive branch of government, and to suggest his removal entails a constitutional crisis and a disruption of our whole political system.”