"President Barack Obama is starting to channel his inner Cheney."

[eyer]

Obama asserts presidential powers he once spoke critically of

By Steven Thomma and William Douglas | McClatchy Newspapers

WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama is starting to channel his inner Cheney.

For years, Obama talked about the limits on presidential power. Now, driven either by principle or political expediency, he’s working to build and maintain a powerful presidency that pushes the edge of what it can do, while often telling Congress and the courts to mind their own business.

In the last week alone, he refused a subpoena to share Justice Department emails with Congress, told courts he doesn’t have to justify his claimed power to assassinate suspected terrorists and decided to stop deporting certain illegal immigrants even though Congress has refused to enact a law to do that.

Those moves cap a slow buildup of executive branch power since Obama took office in January 2009. Some actions build on war powers seized by the administration of President George W. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney. Some assert new domestic authority.

Taken together, they reinforce the strengthening presidential power that Cheney pursued ever since he served as White House chief of staff to Gerald Ford and watched Congress take power away from a presidency weakened by Vietnam and Watergate.

“Particularly with regard to national security powers, Obama is as vigorous in exercising those powers, and expanding some of them, as his predecessor,” said Gene Healy, the author of the book “The Cult of the Presidency: America’s Dangerous Devotion to Executive Power.”

Full piece here:

http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2012/06/21/153365/obama-asserts-presidential-powers.html

 

[KRCummings]

Personally, I kind of want an asshole for President. Not a stupid one like Bush or one in over his head like Obama. Someone with a Cheney attitude but less...Cheney. Clinton and Reagan were both assholes and did a good job. Nixon was an major asshole and did a good job for the most part. You know, except for that whole "law" thing getting in the way. Carter and Ford not assholes and look where they got us. Bush the first wanted to be an asshole but couldn't. Failure. Bush II major asshole but dumb as a box of hair. Failure.

It takes a nice balance.