Another insight into how Bushco is consolidating power

in addition to recess appointments and the looming threat of domestic militarization, raw story adds some perspective on how bushco has been consolidating power...

The Bush administration has been using an extreme version of an obscure doctrine called the Unitary Executive Theory to justify executive actions that far exceed past presidents' power. [...] The doctrine assumes, in its extreme form, nearly absolute deference to the Executive branch from Congress and the Judiciary.

According to Dr. Christopher Kelley, a professor in the Department of Political Sciences at Miami University, as of April 2005, President Bush had used the doctrine 95 times when signing legislation into law, issuing an executive order, or responding to a congressional resolution.

[...]

The doctrine is being used by the Bush Administration, however, to claim the authority to decide what is and what is not the law in areas that some legal experts view as suspect [says] Michael A. Froomkin, professor at University of Miami Law School...

[...]

According to Froomkin, a problem arises when the president views himself as completely above the law or is so secretive that no checks and balances can work. The greatest danger is when Congress doesn’t adequately assert itself, he asserts.

i have this mental picture of hordes of interns (college young republicans no doubt) poring over dusty volumes in the sub-basement of the national archives like demented gnomes, unearthing little-known twists and turns in american political and governmental history and then running to rove, the political power-broker from hell, brandishing their new discoveries... they'll know they've struck gold if king karl screams, "we'll fuck 'em, we'll fuck 'em like nobody's ever fucked 'em..."

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