No Ostrich Here

By Cernig

Long, long ago in a galaxy far, far away - at least in blogging terms - I posed the question. The one question every congresscritter and presidential hopeful should have been asked time and again until they had to answer. Will you, if elected, pledge to roll back the Bush vision of total Presidential executive power?

Oh Happy Day:

Maybe it’s his background teaching constitutional law.

If elected president, Democratic White House hopeful Barack Obama said one of the first things he wants to do is ensure the constitutionality of all the laws and executive orders passed while Republican President George W. Bush has been in office.

Those that don’t pass muster will be overturned, he said.

During a fund-raiser in Denver, Obama — a former constitutional law professor at the University of Chicago Law School — was asked what he hoped to accomplish during his first 100 days in office.

“I would call my attorney general in and review every single executive order issued by George Bush and overturn those laws or executive decisions that I feel violate the constitution,” said Obama.

That wins it right there, for me.

As Spencer writes: "One hopes that the review process is a matter of taking out everything signed by David Addington or John Yoo or Donald Rumsfeld and writing in red pen across the top EPIC FAIL or ROFLCOPTER."

Followed by Obama signing the treaty on the International Court and then stepping aside to let The Hague do America's laundry cleaning.

Comments

[Jack Tanner]

He's going to overturn laws passed? I thought he was running for President not dictator. Someone should explain basic civics to him but he's probably too stupid to understand that as well.

[1MaNLan]

I have observed that almost no politician of either party has addressed this central problem. I assumed that extraconstitutional/unitary executive power was now the modus operandi from here on out, with all the cronyism, corruption, authoritarianism as well as the figurative and literal backstabbling that goes with it. The media NOT talking about it tells the story, after all. However, Obama seems to be listening and responding to those who believe in the Constitution...holy cow.

We can live in hope that he intends to deliver and that the system in which he MAY be Preznit will allow him to follow through on this pledge.

I now await a chorus of Dems and Repubs to make similar pledges. It will take a lot of energy to counter the movement towards central power authority, because it is not the movement of Bush, but the movement of the system as a whole that must be countered. I am not holding my breath. But still, a little hope is nice...I may even vote, after all.

[fester]

Jack --- please read the quote ---"EXECUTIVE ORDER" which is a directive from the chief executive officer to the executive branch on how to do or interpret XYZ. Those are not laws but guidance from the president. Different presidents can offer different guidance. Within this quote there is nothing indicating changing laws as passed by Congress.

[Jack Tanner]

"and overturn those laws"

You're dumber than O