During a press briefing a couple of days ago at the White House, Snow was dealing with questions of Congressional opposition to the President's planned 'surge' of troops in Iraq.
MR. SNOW: You know what, I don't want to play junior constitutional lawyer on this, so let's wait until we see what happens, if you have specific questions about constitutional authority. But, you know, Congress has the power of the purse. The President has the ability to exercise his own authority if he thinks Congress has voted the wrong way.
Good thing he's not a constitutional lawyer. I don't think one of our founding principles is 'If the Congress votes the wrong way, the President can do as he wishes .' Arrogance is not one of our core democratic values either.
It is this sort of thinking that has led this administration so badly astray. The President believes that since he's the 'decider', he can do as he wishes. This is how we end up with Guantanamo torture, warrantless wiretapping, and the most recently declared presidential power to open your mail.
The Congress would do well for the country to spend the next two years restraining this President, taking back the precedents that they have sat by and allowed him to establish.
In other words, reestablishing the Constitution.
GP
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