The President Is Above the Law

[Anti Federalist]

The President Is Above the Law

Saturday, May 21st, 2011

http://www.theagitator.com/2011/05/21/the-president-is-above-the-law/

. . . even laws that apply only to the president.

Obama is now in violation of the War Powers Act.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/21/world/africa/21libya.html?_r=2

He has graciously hinted that if Congress wanted to make our war in Libya legal by formally authorizing it, he would be okay with that. But his spokesman Jay Carney also indicated yesterday that if Congress doesn’t act, the administration is just going to pretend that the War Powers Act doesn’t exist.

No, Carney didn’t explicitly say that (though he nearly did). But it’s clearly the sum of the administration’s actions and statements over the last week. President Obama is now carrying out an illegal war. And he isn’t even trying to act as if there’s any interpretation of the law that justifies what he’s doing. This comes just a couple days after Obama, the head of our current state secrets-supporting, FOIA-flouting administration, lectured the Arab world on the importance of an open, transparent government that abides by the rule of law.

We’ve reached the point where they’re not even pretending any more.

(Something I've been saying for a while now, the Rubicon has truly been crossed, our glorious leader are not even paying lip service to following the law or the Constitution anymore - AF)

[Sola_Fide]

King Obama is here. Why pay attention to the election laws either? Why not reign in perpetuity?

[Agorism]

Doesn't the president have to declare war to do any action at all? That's what I was wondering about it.

[Chester Copperpot]

Doesn't the president have to declare was to do any action at all? That's what I was wondering about it.

What are you saying?

can you rephrase that?

[specsaregood]

King Obama is here. Why pay attention to the election laws either? Why not reign in perpetuity?

Because the TPTB can be even more successful just by picking puppets to put in place. Why remove the delusion of choice when you don't have to?

[Sola_Fide]

Because the TPTB can be even more successful just by picking puppets to put in place. Why remove the delusion of choice when you don't have to?


Cant argue with that. Sounds like a perfect plan for them.

[specsaregood]

Cant argue with that. Sounds like a perfect plan for them.

It is funny though, before Bush left office there were many conspiracy types predicting that Bush would do the same -- cancel elections, reign in perpetuity. Then when that didn't happen, others laughed at them and said, "See, you were unnecessarily nuts, and wrong!"

But now, comparing Obama's first term, vs Bush's reign....who is laughing now? Can you really tell a difference?

Now mind you, if by some Miracle Dr. Paul won the primary and general election, a GREAT MANY talking heads would probably be arguing for just such an action by Obama -- reign in perpetuity. I can very easily imagine the weekly standard people suggesting just such a thing.

[Sola_Fide]

It is funny though, before Bush left office there were many conspiracy types predicting that Bush would do the same -- cancel elections, reign in perpetuity. Then when that didn't happen, others laughed at them and said, "See, you were unnecessarily nuts, and wrong!"

But now, comparing Obama's first term, vs Bush's reign....who is laughing now? Can you really tell a difference?

Now mind you, if by some Miracle Dr. Paul won the primary and general election, a GREAT MANY talking heads would probably be arguing for just such an action by Obama -- reign in perpetuity. I can very easily imagine the weekly standard people suggesting just such a thing.

Oh yeah. The Kristols and the Levins and the Lindsey Grahams of the world would be begging for Obama to declare an emergency or start a war to stop the election:)

[heavenlyboy34]

King Obama is here. Why pay attention to the election laws either? Why not reign in perpetuity?
Not even a king, really. A king would have a vested interest in what happens to the kingdom (being owner of all the land and properties therein)-and wouldn't jeopardize it by behaving so recklessly. Obama is more accurately an emporer-he doesn't care what happens as a result of his actions because the next emperor will inherit all the problems and he'll retire comfortably and get an imperial pension.

[JK/SEA]

Bigger point for me is why the Joint Chiefs are rolling over on this?...cowards?...

[Anti Federalist]

You have given out too much Reputation in the last 24 hours, try again later.


Because the TPTB can be even more successful just by picking puppets to put in place. Why remove the delusion of choice when you don't have to?


Cant argue with that. Sounds like a perfect plan for them.


It is funny though, before Bush left office there were many conspiracy types predicting that Bush would do the same -- cancel elections, reign in perpetuity. Then when that didn't happen, others laughed at them and said, "See, you were unnecessarily nuts, and wrong!"

But now, comparing Obama's first term, vs Bush's reign....who is laughing now? Can you really tell a difference?

Now mind you, if by some Miracle Dr. Paul won the primary and general election, a GREAT MANY talking heads would probably be arguing for just such an action by Obama -- reign in perpetuity. I can very easily imagine the weekly standard people suggesting just such a thing.

Continuity of Agenda/Continuity of Government. It's why the concept of single term president is mostly a thing of the past. We'll let the Mundanes have their fake choice but only once every 8 years, causes too much upset every four.


Oh yeah. The Kristols and the Levins and the Lindsey Grahams of the world would be begging for Obama to declare an emergency or start a war to stop the election:)


Not even a king, really. A king would have a vested interest in what happens to the kingdom (being owner of all the land and properties therein)-and wouldn't jeopardize it by behaving so recklessly. Obama is more accurately an emporer-he doesn't care what happens as a result of his actions because the next emperor will inherit all the problems and he'll retire comfortably and get an imperial pension.

[Rothbardian Girl]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ejvyDn1TPr8

[NewRightLibertarian]

This F'N scumbag Obama should be run out of the country.

[Pericles]

Bigger point for me is why the Joint Chiefs are rolling over on this?...cowards?...

When you get an order that violates the oath to the Constitution, or is one that can not be performed in good concence, the officer is duty bound to refure the order and request release from active duty. Compare the current crop to this guy LTG Vernon Walters (Wikipedia is close enough to the story I got from him personally):

According to a close colleague, Walters also "averted a looming catastrophe" for the CIA in connection with the Watergate scandal:
Despite numerous importunings from on high, [Walters] flatly refused to...cast a cloak of national security over the guilty parties. At the critical moment, he... refused to involve the Agency, and bluntly informed the highest levels of the executive [branch] that further insistence from that quarter would result in his immediate resignation. And the rest is history.
Walters himself reflected on those challenging days in his 1978 autobiography, Silent Missions:
I told [President Nixon’s White House counsel] that on the day I went to work at the CIA I had hung on the wall of my office a color photograph showing the view through the window of my home in Florida…When people asked me what it was, I told them [this] was what was waiting [for me] if anyone squeezed me too hard.

[Simon]

"A man is no less a slave because he is allowed to choose a new master once in a term of years." ~ Lysander Spooner

[heavenlyboy34]

This F'N scumbag Obama should be run out of the country.

Yes, but he won't. Sadly, president-worship has become deeply engrained into American culture. :(

[NewRightLibertarian]

Yes, but he won't. Sadly, president-worship has become deeply engrained into American culture. :(

The president is meant to be worshiped and loved regardless of the atrocities they commit. Murder and theft are justified as public policy decisions and are commonplace in the Washington D.C. atmosphere. It's a disgusting system, and we don't even know what they're doing completely. I shutter to think what these scoundrels are doing behind closed doors in secret.

[Anti Federalist]

This F'N scumbag Obama should be run out of the country.

Only to be replaced with another fucking scumbag.

What needs to go is this notion of the "Imperial Presidency" and all that title entails.

[aGameOfThrones]

To not support our president in all his endeavors is blasphemy, traitor talk should be delt with appropriate harshness.

[dude58677]

I wouldn't be surprised if the following was stated during the State of the Union and no one would d anything"
I'm doing everything to make gvernment corrupt because if it isn't we would not have enough problems to justify anyone to run for public office." Every congress person would get up and clap.

This would not surprise me.

[FreedomProsperityPeace]

On Wednesday, six Republican senators sent a letter to Mr. Obama noting the imminent deadline “for you to terminate the use of the United States armed forces in Libya.” They asked “whether you intend to comply with the requirements of the War Powers Resolution.” They should start impeachment proceedings. At the very least, Kucinich will join them.

[Theocrat]

King Obama is here. Why pay attention to the election laws either? Why not reign in perpetuity?

H. J. Res. 5 (http://www.govtrack.us/congress/billtext.xpd?bill=hj111-5)

[specsaregood]

They should start impeachment proceedings. At the very least, Kucinich will join them.

I wouldn't stake my lunch money on that.

[awake]

True, and that is the problem.

[FreedomProsperityPeace]

I wouldn't stake my lunch money on that.He's been barking a lot. If he doesn't bite, then he is being irresponsible and shirking his duty..


3YZrQz4hW-k

[anaconda]

He is above the law as long as Congress won't live up to their oath of office.

[CUnknown]

"Administration officials offered no theory for why continuing the air war in Libya in the absence of Congressional authorization and beyond the deadline would be lawful."

And this is from the NYT. Amazing. From most of the left- (and right-) wing in this country: crickets.

[Anti Federalist]

"Administration officials offered no theory for why continuing the air war in Libya in the absence of Congressional authorization and beyond the deadline would be lawful."

And this is from the NYT. Amazing. From most of the left- (and right-) wing in this country: crickets.

It's not lawful, not by any stretch of the imagination.

They aren't even pretending anymore.

[affa]

I wonder if the many people that defended Bush's various actions are now waking up and smelling the coffee since they're now seeing Obama (the "other side") in the same light that people criticizing Bush saw Bush.

And for those that keep saying the 'left' will defend him... stop dividing us. Seriously. There are tons of people on the so-called left that are sick to death that Obama was a lie. It's pretty damn obvious he's done nothing he promised.

[MaxPower]

The President Is Above the Law

Saturday, May 21st, 2011

http://www.theagitator.com/2011/05/21/the-president-is-above-the-law/

. . . even laws that apply only to the president.

Obama is now in violation of the War Powers Act.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/21/world/africa/21libya.html?_r=2

He has graciously hinted that if Congress wanted to make our war in Libya legal by formally authorizing it, he would be okay with that. But his spokesman Jay Carney also indicated yesterday that if Congress doesn’t act, the administration is just going to pretend that the War Powers Act doesn’t exist.

No, Carney didn’t explicitly say that (though he nearly did). But it’s clearly the sum of the administration’s actions and statements over the last week. President Obama is now carrying out an illegal war. And he isn’t even trying to act as if there’s any interpretation of the law that justifies what he’s doing. This comes just a couple days after Obama, the head of our current state secrets-supporting, FOIA-flouting administration, lectured the Arab world on the importance of an open, transparent government that abides by the rule of law.

We’ve reached the point where they’re not even pretending any more.

(Something I've been saying for a while now, the Rubicon has truly been crossed, our glorious leader are not even paying lip service to following the law or the Constitution anymore - AF)
As the doctors Paul so eloquently explained, he was already in violation of the War Powers Act when he first launched the stupid invasion; this only makes it a double violation.