Why President Obama Could Easily Be Impeached Over the Debt Ceiling If Congress Fails to Raise It

Not my own essay, of course, but very interesting to read.

http://verdict.justia.com/2013/01/11/why-president-obama-could-easily-be-impeached-over-the-debt-ceiling-if-congress-fails-to-raise-it

I don't think that Republicans would be so reckless as to commit political suicide to ensure Obama's impeachment (he wouldn't get convicted/removed anyway, especially with Democrats in charge of the Senate).  I find it interesting because of the theoretical conundrum for any president: how to enforce the laws faithfully when they conflict with one another, a puzzle I had not considered before.

Ideally, a president should wait for Congress to untie the legal knot so that he/she does not have to try to do so unilaterally.  But with a deadlocked or intransigent Congress, it's unclear to me as to what any president could do.  The article's prescription, to find the "least unconstitutional" option, seems best, I suppose.