The Man Who Would Be King

[Geee]

American Thinker:

America is in a constitutional crisis. A sitting president consistently exercises power not granted to him by the U.S. Constitution, and he does so capriciously, defying the attempts of other branches -- given the responsibility to check the executive branch -- to restrain his excess. The banks, the manufacturing sector, the health care sector, and now the energy sector are all under the de facto control of this determined and brazen individual. But while U.S. government involvement in the private sector is alarming -- even New Deal power-seizures were rolled back by legislators elected to repudiate the expansionist vision of President Roosevelt -- abuse of war-making authority is another matter entirely. The man who makes war without the approval of elected legislators is no longer a president, but a king.

President Obama invades Libya without even a pretense to legitimacy, blatantly ignoring the provisions of the War Powers Resolution of 1973, which is generally acknowledged to be the rule of thumb in foreign excursions of any nature. Under the War Powers Resolution, the president must notify Congress within 48 hours of deploying the military abroad and must seek written authorization from Congress after 60 days, followed by a further 30-day withdrawal. American involvement in Libya long ago violated this requirement.

Congress is ultimately to blame for the migration of the presidency beyond its constitutional limits. But the constitutional sins of Congress lie more in the realm of omission than commission. On the issue of rule by executive fiat, Congress has been virtually silent. The most that is heard are restrained grumblings in committees and half-baked schemes to reclaim stolen power, but no concrete action has manifested. In the past, the power of the purse would be wielded against the perpetrators of executive malfeasancei. But instead of restraining the executive branch, Congress has become a willing party to the benign dictatorship of the "unitary executive," rubber-stamping illicit acts, e.g. unilateral decisions to go to war.

[nickydog]

This is a different article from "The Community Organizer That Would Be King" posted yesterday. Equally good.

[Valin]

nickydog Geee

 

America is in a constitutional crisis. A sitting president consistently exercises power not granted to him by the U.S. Constitution, and he does so capriciously, defying the attempts of other branches -- given the responsibility to check the executive branch -- to restrain his excess.

 

This Week: Roundtable: Battle For The Constitution

George Will, Michael Eric Dyson, Jill Lepore, Richard Stengel discuss ObamaCare and the Constitution.

This shows the fundamental difference between the Left and the Right. (Click On Link For Video)

 

 

FYI William R Cook

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=doXDlvBXRLA

Prof. William R. Cook describes Tocquevilles experiences as described in Democracy in America. The most likely way for America to fall into despotism is to curtail freedom of speech, and to increase the centralization of government to the point that people no longer have to think and take care of themselves.