I'm no fan of Robert Byrd. However, review and think about this. He does have a point. I've always hated the term Czar. Also look at the very last part. Obama better defend this one our get caught between a rock and a hard place. There's nothing really congress can do to Rove. Obama better be wise to cover his butt as well.
Quote:
Sen. Robert Byrd (D-W.Va.), the longest-serving Democratic senator, is criticizing President Obama"™s appointment of White House "śczars"ť to oversee federal policy, saying these executive positions amount to a power grab by the executive branch.
In a letter to Obama on Wednesday, Byrd complained about Obama"™s decision to create White House offices on health reform, urban affairs policy, and energy and climate change. Byrd said such positions "ścan threaten the Constitutional system of checks and balances. At the worst, White House staff have taken direction and control of programmatic areas that are the statutory responsibility of Senate-confirmed officials."ť
While it's rare for Byrd to criticize a president in his own party, Byrd is a stern constitutional scholar who has always stood up for the legislative branch in its role in checking the power of the White House. Byrd no longer holds the powerful Appropriations chairmanship, so his criticism does not carry as much weight these days. Byrd repeatedly clashed with the Bush administration over executive power, and it appears that he's not limiting his criticism to Republican administrations.
Byrd also wants Obama to limit claims of executive privilege while also ensuring that the White House czars don"™t have authority over Cabinet officers confirmed by the Senate.
"śAs presidential assistants and advisers, these White House staffers are not accountable for their actions to the Congress, to cabinet officials, and to virtually anyone but the president,"ť Byrd wrote. "śThey rarely testify before congressional committees, and often shield the information and decision-making process behind the assertion of executive privilege. In too many instances, White House staff have been allowed to inhibit openness and transparency, and reduce accountability."ť
[/align]The West Virginia Democrat on Wednesday asked Obama to "śconsider the following: that assertions of executive privilege will be made only by the president, or with the president"™s specific approval; that senior White House personnel will be limited from exercising authority over any person, any program, and any funding within the statutory responsibility of a Senate-confirmed department or agency head; that the president will be responsible for resolving any disagreement between a Senate-confirmed agency or department head and White House staff; and that the lines of authority and responsibility in the administration will be transparent and open to the American public."ť
Obama faces a decision as early as next week on whether to support a claim of executive privilege made by former President Bush in refusing to allow Karl Rove, the former deputy White House chief of staff, to be deposed by the House Judiciary Committee on the White House"™s role in the 2006 firing of nine U.S. attorneys.
Bush claimed "śabsolute immunity"ť for top advisers in resisting such subpoenas, but Rep. John Conyers (D-Mich.), chairman of the Judiciary Committee, filed a lawsuit over the issue. The case is on appeal, and the Obama administration is scheduled to file a motion next week laying out its stance on the issue.
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John Adams “The moment the idea is admitted into society that property is not as sacred as the laws of God, and that there is not a force of law and public justice to protect it, anarchy and tyranny commence.”
Ronald Reagan: 'Everybody that is for abortion has already been born'
"I never said I was worth it. I only said I wouldn't do it for less " William F. Buckley Jr.
Score another one for the old man. This honeymoon between Obama and the Congress will come crashing down soon I bet....the writing is going on the walls as we speak..
You said it. Sooner or later the democrats, congress, and all the liberals all over the place are going to get a rude awakening. Obama will no longer bethe "messiah" that they think he is.
Byrd is probably having a flashback to his Klan leader days. A guy who dodged the WWII draft and ran with a Klan unit that hassled black GIs is no good.
Funny that you of all people are giving some credibility to Byrd, FM. If you think Byrd is correct in his assessment of Obama here, I hope you don't think he was wrong in his assessment of your beloved Bush administration a few years back.
No I don't agree with him about Iraq. Sadam committed many acts of war while under his agreement for unconditional surrender. In fact, Bush never needed to go back to congress to get them to declare war and give Bush the go ahead. However, Bush did that anyway and received the support of the legislative branch.
Where Obama is really screwing up is the fact he is undermining the duty and responsibility of his very own cabinet. I really don't see how he's going to get anything done. One thing he is getting done is spending a boat load of money.
I guess that's the change arthur voted for.
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John Adams “The moment the idea is admitted into society that property is not as sacred as the laws of God, and that there is not a force of law and public justice to protect it, anarchy and tyranny commence.”
Ronald Reagan: 'Everybody that is for abortion has already been born'
"I never said I was worth it. I only said I wouldn't do it for less " William F. Buckley Jr.
Of course not. What do you expect when you attempt to compare apples and oranges?
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John Adams “The moment the idea is admitted into society that property is not as sacred as the laws of God, and that there is not a force of law and public justice to protect it, anarchy and tyranny commence.”
Ronald Reagan: 'Everybody that is for abortion has already been born'
"I never said I was worth it. I only said I wouldn't do it for less " William F. Buckley Jr.
It's a power grab? Duh! Could that be more obvious? And yet we have board members who somehow don't remember that our Community Organizer was guy who said we have to end politics as usual. Now in the midst of a true global crisis, when he could actually show some leadership, he's instead being led by the nose by his party and in many ways locking out any dialogue about what is probably the greatest shift toward socialism in American history.
Arguably, it is his creation of an American panic that could be final straw in the broken back of our economy as we knew it.
Of course not.Â* What do you expect when you attempt to compare apples and oranges?
Why is it apples an oranges? Bush and Obama are both US presidents, are they not? One the former and the other the current. You are throwing out Byrd's opinion on one president and yet think his opinion of the other is credible. If Byrd's opinion on Bush was so far off base, couldn't it then be the same with Obama? Of course we all know what you will say to this, so you don't really need to waste time with a reply.
Byrd: Obama in power grab
