In a drinking spree—when one is emotional and the other is sarcastic—we can expect an explosion.  There is no question that sober minds and cooler heads have to enter the picture.  What is happening today is that we're paying for removing a democratically-elected president through extra-legal means.

As the old saying goes, "What goes around, comes around."  The easy and more seductive path we took short-circuited the constitutional process, leaving both sides believing they were right up till the present.  Even if the rule of law leaves much to be desired in this country, at the end of the day, that is the only path we should take.  Otherwise, we will have total anarchy.

There are a lot of things wrong with the 1987 Constitution, but its saving grace was limiting a president to a single term of six years.  When GMA changed her mind about running in 2004, that signaled trouble on the horizon.

Facing an incumbent, the opposition felt that only an extremely popular candidate could win against her.  They chose FPJ who had no political experience whatsoever.  Nonetheless, the elections were so tight, it was too close to call.

With government resources at the disposal of the incumbent, people expected cheating to take place.  The price we are paying for ignoring the constitutional process is clearly the reason why we are in a political crisis today.  But committing the same mistake will not make it right.

It is high time people realize and weigh the consequences of extra-legally removing a president one more time.  As a matter of fact, friends from the international community have seen similar situations where countries have slid to chaos and anarchy.

We are already at the verge and we might just fall into it if both sides take a hard stance.  Revolutions are only called for when there are no other alternatives left for change.  One must admit in hindsight that EDSA 1 was the only legitimate People Power.

A call to arms for a revolution at this time is not only foolish and unrealistic, it is unjustified.  It can only result in bringing the country to its knees because no foreign government, especially the Americans, will recognize a revolutionary government coming out of a democratic system.  Without that recognition, it could set us back for decades.

Economic prosperity will remain a dream, never to become a reality.  With the population growing by leaps and bounds, especially in the poorer sectors of society, we will eventually reach that point of anarchy.  No revolution needed.

Unfortunately for GMA, her ill-advised, "I am sorry" speech only opened a can of worms that raised more questions than answers.  She offered no solution, planting doubt in people's minds that she won the elections.

It's like saying, "I put my hand in the cookie jar, but did not steal a cookie."  A mea culpa without follow-through will only further weaken her capacity to govern.  The President should have offered a solution by forming a Truth Commission with credible people acceptable to the public.

That is one way to calm down the highly-charged atmosphere.  In the meantime, she may want to call a constitutional convention earlier than expected.  She may want to offer to be a transitional president until a new constitution is in place shortening her term.

The situation is more serious than people think.  The economic crisis is the real and menacing threat.  Even if the EVAT has been suspended by the TRO, we'll still have to bite the bullet.  This is just postponing the bitter pill we must swallow to survive the already fragile economic situation we're in.  And yet, the phantom political menace is taking up our attention and energies.

Businessmen are extremely worried that this protracted political crisis can really bring down the economy as indicated by the dollar shooting up compounded by high fuel prices.  Those who are advocating for GMA to resign or be impeached should be prepared to accept Noli de Castro.  Noli says he is ready, but the question is—Are you ready for him?

Even if the United States found itself in a similar situation that we're in twice.  Bill Clinton's controversial affair with the then 24-year-old former White House intern Monica Lewinsky almost shattered the presidency.  Central to the issue was the perception that Clinton lied under oath about the affair and worse, had urged her to lie as well.  Whereas Clinton was proven to have lied in the end, he survived the impeachment because the Democrats had the numbers.

On June 23, 1972, Richard Nixon and White House Chief of Staff Bob Haldeman were taped discussing a plan to block the investigation of the Watergate break-in by citing bogus national security justifications and by invoking the legal shield used by Kennedy for the Bay of Pigs fiasco.  The recorded obstruction of justice became known as the "smoking gun" that resulted in the swift unraveling of Nixon's Presidency and his forced resignation on August 9,1974.

Strangely enough, it was Kennedy who first made it a policy to tape conversations in the Oval Office.  When Special Prosecutor Leon Jaworski ordered the tapes without the 18-minute gap to be surrendered, Nixon was heard to have resignedly muttered, "There goes the Presidency."  What started as a Nixon "lapse in judgment" approved break-in for wiretapping the Democratic National Committee to "protect" his votes in advance abruptly ended his political career.

To his credit, Nixon took the personal sacrifice realizing that his staying on would break the country apart.  In the Spring or 1989, I accompanied the late Vice President Doy Laurel on a social call to former President Richard Nixon at his Saddle River home in New Jersey.  I remember very distinctly what Nixon told us, "There is life after the Presidency.  You can always bounce back."

Emotions, ignorance, revenge, and ambition make for a lethal cocktail that is being stirred for this nation.  There is no alternative to having sober people from both sides sit down and come to a sensible solution.

Ultimately, only sober minds working within a constitutional process can solve this brewing, bubbling cauldron of a political crisis.  With the stakes higher, leaders of both the government and the opposition should transcend self-interests at this point.

If we mistakenly choose the habitual and easy dangerous path we've always taken, the price we will pay will be much higher than one can ever imagine.  This time around we're not merely talking about losing an election or losing the Presidency—we're talking about losing a country.

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Email: babeseyeview@hotmail.com

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