Remember when liberals bristled at Bush’s Executive Orders?

Flopping Aces ^ | 06-30-14 | DrJohn

[Starman417]

There was a time not so long ago when liberals bristled at what they felt was the over-reach of the Executive branch.

NY Times, Jan. 29, 2007

Congress, the Constitution and War: The Limits on Presidential Power

But Mr. Cheney told only half the story. Congress has war powers, too, and with 70 percent of Americans now opposed to President Bush’s handling of the war, according to an ABC News/Washington Post poll, it is becoming more assertive about them. Congress is poised to pass a resolution denouncing the troop increase. Down the line, Congress may well consider mandatory caps on the number of troops in Iraq, or setting a date for withdrawal.

If it does, we may be headed toward a constitutional clash, with the administration trying to read powers into the Constitution — as it has with its “enemy combatant” doctrine and presidential “signing statements” — that the Founders did not put there. The Constitution’s drafters were intent on balancing power so no one branch could drift toward despotism. The system of checks and balances that runs through the document divides the war power between the president and Congress.

Check and balances, you say?

NY Times, July 23, 2007

Just What the Founders Feared: An Imperial President Goes to War

Given how intent the president is on expanding his authority, it is startling to recall how the Constitution’s framers viewed presidential power. They were revolutionaries who detested kings, and their great concern when they established the United States was that they not accidentally create a kingdom. To guard against it, they sharply limited presidential authority, which Edmund Randolph, a Constitutional Convention delegate and the first attorney general, called “the foetus of monarchy.”

Detested kings, you say?

That was different. Now, “the foetus of monarchy” is entirely acceptable now that Obama is President.

Mr. Obama got fed up, finally, last fall, according to Mr. Savage’s article, and the result was the “We Can’t Wait” project, which has led to dozens of executive actions on a range of issues, including jobs for veterans and fuel economy standards.

Unlike the Bush/Cheney team, Mr. Obama did not take office with the explicit goal of creating new powers for the presidency. That was not part of his agenda. Moreover, his executive actions often are more modest in their effect than the White House’s public relations team might admit.

Government by executive order is not sustainable in the long-term. Nor is it desirable, whether you agree or disagree with those orders. But in this particular case, there may be no alternative.

There's no alternative when Congress refuses to give Obama everything he wants?

The Times was cheerleading for even more government by Obama Executive Orders:

[MUDDOG]

presidential authority, which Edmund Randolph, a Constitutional Convention delegate and the first attorney general, called “the foetus of monarchy.”

The fetus which the left are pro-life for.

[MrB]

Leftists DON’T CARE if they are hypocrites.

[cotton1706]

Remember when Chuck Schumer grilled Sam Alito about “unitary executive” theory?? He’s ok with a single individual enacting things now because that individual is a democrat.

[RIghtwardHo]

Exactly. Which is why I have taken the position that ALL Presidents do it and to pick out one as overreach, even ODimwit, is a losing proposition.

[5thGenTexan]

Correct. They did not have a problem with Executive Orders, just who was giving them at that time.

[Forward the Light Brigade]

Imagine how they will react when President Ted Cruz uses his powers to rule by executive Orders? It will be a fun time!

[MrB]

He won’t.

What happens when two teams are competing, and one believes in complying with the rules and the other does not -

who wins?

[uncommonsense]

"Exactly. Which is why I have taken the position that ALL Presidents do it and to pick out one as overreach, even ODimwit, is a losing proposition."

The Rats want to conflate Executive Orders with Unconstitutional Overreach. They show the number of EO's for each POTUS, versus EO's that flagrantly violate the separation of powers or core constitutional authority / prohibitions.

[sauropod]

I was appalled, and so was the Times editorial board (and so, in fact was Senator Barack Obama) when a Boston Globe reporter, Charlie Savage, documented Mr. Bush’s use of presidential signing statements and executive orders. But I am not appalled by the way Mr. Obama is relying on those instruments – as detailed in today’s Times by that same enterprising reporter, who now works for us. Context and intent make all the difference.

Of course not. Bootlicking ObaMao apologists at the NYT shouldn't be.

May your chains rest lightly, Mr. Rosenthal. Bootlicker.

[South40]

“I taught constitutional law for ten years. I take the Constitution very seriously. The biggest problems that were facing right now have to do with George Bush trying to bring more and more power into the executive branch and not go through Congress at all, and that’s what I intend to reverse when I’m President of the United States of America.”
~Presidential Candidate, Hussein Obama

[IronJack]

Seriously? Are you accusing liberals of being hypocrites? You might as well accuse water of being wet!

[freerepublicchat]

Leftists DON’T CARE if they are hypocrites.

Absolutely.

And I'm at the point where I don't feel any obligation at all to be civil or fair or anything else to leftists. You try to treat them fairly and they still stab you in the back.

[I want the USA back]

They are filthy hypocrites. Nothing a liberal says is worth listening to.

[molson209]

I remember Pelosi showing on TV almost every day calling Bush every name her small brain could think of ,for just about everything Bush did

[yarddog]

I don’t know if it was an executive order or not but when Bush Jr. punished China, for some reason he chose to ban imports from China North Industries who just happened to be making some really neat copies of some classic American Guns plus their 1911s had a reputation of being very good for the basis of a race gun.

If I had the opportunity, I would have kicked Bushes ass.