Friday, September 15, 2006

The “Long War” and the Imperial Presidency.

John Yoo, the Preznit’s so-called legal council, has offered an opinion that in the time of war, the power provided by the Constitution shifts to the Executive Branch. Here is an excerpt from a story in Nation .

"At the Justice Department between 2001 and 2003, Berkeley law professor John Yoo crafted a series of now notorious legal opinions. In them, he spelled out the fundamentals of a secret emergency Constitution under which the President's inherent powers in the "war on terror" are essentially unlimited. In the wake of 9/11, Yoo argued, the United States was at war in a constitutional sense, and consequently Congress and the courts could no longer purport to second-guess or interfere with or even learn about the President's national-security decisions, however momentous."

Completely outrageous, of course. This guy is a constitutional lawyer? Where in the world did he come up with this? Couple this with this administration’s concept that this country is going to be at war with (insert scary name/catchphrase of the day here) pretty much forever, they are essentially saying that the President can do anything he wants to, irregardless of whether it has anything to do with this “war” or not, for as long as he decrees.

To recap: Unfettered presidential power for as long as we are at war + a war for as long a period of time as the president decrees = a cyclic argument + a self-declared king.

I would not be at all surprised (outraged, but not surprised) if Bush were to declare that, due to the “ongoing crisis”, the 2008 elections were postponed or cancelled. I am beginning to believe that he is that crazy, and most of his enablers would probably not only allow him to get away with it, they would probably be supportive. This is how much I think this guy has a God complex. He thinks he can do anything he wants and is not answerable to anyone.

I wish someone would slap Bush upside the head and remind him that he is only a temporary steward of this country, not the owner.

No comments: