America’s Imperial Presidency

It is irrelevant as to the Democratic Party or the Republican Party; the Office of President in America has become an Imperial Presidency.

The Imperial Presidency can be defined, succinctly, as a structure in which enormous discretionary power to respond to national security crises and perceived dangers is concentrated in the office of the president. In this scheme, Congress, willingly or not, is only a bit player. Although the term has a pejorative connotation, it is not so much the existence of an Imperial Presidency that has spurred public backlashes as it is the abuses of power that have sometimes come with it. (Imperial Presidency – govexec.com)

The Party out of the Presidential Office usually harangues the President when there is an obvious exercise of power and the Party in Office often looks the other way.

In my opinion an Imperial Presidency is a good thing with a wise leader and yet it could be a bad thing under a President that fits the old maxim – Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Again the favor of the media, the voters or the out of power Party is usually the ones hollering from the roof tops that an Imperial President has corrupted his power. In the long run it is the evaluation of history that shines the light of motive and the end-game as to wickedness or goodness.

For instance every Left Wing Nut (and admittedly many on the center Right) will display President George W. Bush as an example of power corrupting the Office of President. I may be in the minority but I disagree. The Bush Administration prevented any future attack on American soil utilizing the very methods that Lefties would call corrupted power. That’s just me. The debate on what is more valuable for American society – security or absolute civil liberties – during a national conflict will go on for some time only again to be evaluated in the future by history.

So what is John getting at?

I just ran across a WorldNetDaily article that is still writing about President Barack Hussein Obama’s eligibility to be in the Office of President.

The article talks about all the failed law suits to try and force BHO to divulge historical documents pertaining to his eligibility to be President. Further WND talks about the current law suit initiated by Alan Keyes which has not yet bitten the dust that essentially wanted the California Secretary of State not to certify BHO’s Electoral College Electors to cast their votes until the historical documents are made public.

The law suit had to be amended when indeed the Electoral College certified Barack Hussein Obama as the next President of the USA; however I understand the law suit has been amended to still demand the documents.

So here’s the thing: The Courts on all levels of authority right up to the Supreme Court has looked the other way using legalese to ignore the eligibility issue. Does anyone think the current Imperial President will allow pre-election personal documents see the light of day when he definitely has the post-election power to delay and obfuscate the production of said documents at least until the end of his Office as President?

I am thinking NO.

Yet I am all for these stalwart litigators to plowing away (if they got the dough) for one day BHO will not be in Office (barring any extra-Constitutional coup). On that day history will demonstrate if BHO was a wise Imperial President or a Power Corrupt President.

JRH 2/14/09