A Thought On Executive Power
This Boston Globe story, suggesting that the Bush Administration has asserted the right to disobey 750 or so laws when such laws conflict with its executive prerogatives, got us thinking.
How will the next POTUS handle the inherited authority?
Does a President Hillary Clinton get along better with Congress since she's a senator?
Does she explicytly reject the Bush Administration's interpretations? We're not talking about domestic wiretap authority here -- as the Globe article points out, the Bush Administration has also claimed the right to reinterpret the architecture of domestic programs -- even Affirmative Action.
BTW: didn't Dick Cheney encourage the power concentration because he believed Pres. Bill Clinton weakened the authority of the office?
Also: will the 750-odd "laws" cited by the Globe become litmus tests for Dem primary voters?
Will candidates who served as GOVs -- Huckabee, Allen, Bayh -- be more inclined to continue the Bushian expansion of signing statements?
It s not unusual for potus to try to expand his power and he is not the whole problem.
Our ELECTED representatives are the real problem.
Each individual politician is responsible and should be held accountable.
Sen. Tom Colburn has made a good start in exposing and fighting against PORK! He managed to get some Pork cut out of the Not-So-Emergency Funding bill, but could not overcome some of the pork inserted by some of the more powerful members like Trent Lott! [ $700,000,000. to relocate a PRIVATE railroad in Mississippi to benefit the gaming casinos.]
The good news is that the vote was very close. ( Remember, we need only 51% of our elected representatives to honor their 'oath of office'.)
This "watch' is going to grow!
The people of Mississippi are going to be constantly reminded of Trent Lott's unsustainable position on such matters.
This is the message that I have sent to each of my representatives and posted on the net.
---- As an afterthought I should have mentioned that, although the people of Mississippi may have some short term gain from this pork, it will be from money stolen from the rest of the country. Their turn in the barrel is coming soon. That's the way the corrupt politicians scratch each others back, and line their pockets for the next election!
Pathetic!!
- Robert Egan, retired