President Barack Obama’s compliant media support sustains his popularity. Obama’s "contempt of Congress" has galvanized his intention to circumvent lawmakers and do more "signing statements" and "recess appointments," which Senators Obama and Harry Reid chastised President Bush for doing. Obama is doing recess appointments while Congress is in pro forma session, a likely court challenge.
Obama blames Bush for many of his problems, unless he can use the "Bush did it, too," bromide. Senator Obama (2008) blasted Bush for using "signing statements" to bypass Congressional authority. As president, Obama has done it 20 times, and recently proclaimed he will not follow sections of the Defense Authorization Act because they intrude on his diplomatic authority.
In 2005, Senator Obama said Bush’s recess appointments were "the wrong thing to do," to appoint people who "couldn’t get through a Senate nomination."
And Democrat Senator Harry Reid (2005): "I will keep the Senate in pro forma session to block (President Bush) from doing an end run around the Senate and Constitution with his controversial nominations." The Democrat leadership declared that Bush’s recess appointments were "an abuse of presidential power" that "ignored the will of the Senate."
Meanwhile, after problematic U.S. interventions, the Arab Spring is fostering Islamic extremism; Iranian "sanctions" are amorphous; and Iran is building a missile base in Venezuela. The unilateral presidency is not working.
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Thomas P. Ostrom
Rochester
