Reese on Constitutional Responsibility

Posted by Eric F. Langborgh on 15 Oct 2007 at 10:24 pm

Charley Reese has long been one of my favorite journalists.  His latest article, “Responsibility,” is a home run and dovetails nicely with a number of my articles, including “The Founders on the Power to Declare War,” “Is the Iraq War Constitutional?” and “On the War on Terror, Imperialism, and American Monarchy.”  Here’s some highlights:

…The Founding Fathers, having suffered under a monarch, deliberately created a weak president. His powers, as specified by the Constitution, are limited mainly to administering the laws passed by Congress, making appointments, negotiating treaties and being the official greeter when dealing with foreign powers. His role as commander in chief is limited to just what it says – the military. The president is not our commander in chief, as the current president seems to think.

Lest anyone be beguiled by the current politicians’ determination to create an emperor and an empire, even the president’s appointments and treaties have to be confirmed by the Senate. Congress has sole authority over taxation and spending. Appropriations for the military are limited by the Constitution to two years. Furthermore, Congress is elected independently of the president and is a separate branch of government. It is under no obligation whatsoever to do anything the president asks it to do, and the president has no authority whatsoever to do anything not authorized by Congress and the Constitution.

…Self-government is tremendously more difficult and demanding than living under a dictatorship. In a dictatorship, all you have to do is obey. I fear that concept appeals to some Americans today. It’s understandable. Responsibility can be a heavy load to carry. It’s much easier to relegate all of that to the Great Leader and just do what we are told…

Read the full article here.

© 2004-2008 Eric F. Langborgh