Does the American Constitution need amending?

[billynomates]

The apparent current impotence of President-elect Obama in the grievous Gaza crisis, and the farce over filling his vacant Senate seat , reveal two defects in the United States constitution.

If the US claims to be the greatest democracy on Earth, they should surely take steps to ensure that all vacancies in their legislature, however casual, are filled by public election.

More importantly, the election of a new president should be followed by his entry to office as soon as possible. Whatever the constitutional niceties of the electoral college and the arrangements for forming a new administration, it must be practicable in this age of instant communication for a new president to be admitted to office within a few days of election rather than having to wait the current 11 weeks. That delay is indeed less than it used to be in the 1920s, and it should be possible to cut it further and drastically now.

Vice-presidents who have succeeded to the presidency in emergency circumstances have been sworn into office within hours. In the current presidential vacuum, Gaza burns and the most powerful office on Earth is still filled by a most lame duck.

For the sake of the world, constitutional amendment in America is necessary on both these fronts.

The Times letters Jan 9th

[DJQ]

What and deny the repubs the last few days of their "hero"? Never!

[bluffmanxx]

Times change, several changes are needed and a few changes that have been made need to be discontinued. We can either live in the past by rules that worked in the 18th century, or we can view the constitution as a living document and schedule constitutional conventions every 10 or 20 years.

[spaceboy761]

We do need some amount of transition time to let the new President assemble his team and Cabinet. That process is too important to be rushed.

[ColdCase]

And not watch as the President elect is denied setting up a temporary
abode at Blair House .... nevvah!

[Ezzz]

We do need some amount of transition time to let the new President assemble his team and Cabinet. That process is too important to be rushed.

Guess billy didn't think of that.

[billynomates]

Actually what astounds most people is that you have a legislator representing the people who is appointed by an alleged crook (although Roland Burris has stated it was the will of 'God'.

[spaceboy761]

Actually what astounds most people is that you have a legislator representing the people who is appointed by an alleged crook (although Roland Burris has stated it was the will of 'God'.

This I have never understood. Why does a member of the state executive branch get to appoint a member of the national legislative branch? Seems very arbitrary.