Academic

BARACK W. BUSH: The Justice Department has declared that President Obama can disregard a law forb?

By Glenn Reynolds

BARACK W. BUSH:

The Justice Department has declared that President Obama can disregard a law forbidding State Department officials from attending United Nations meetings led by representatives of nations considered to be sponsors of terrorism. . . . In the new opinion, David Barron, the acting head of the Office of Legal Counsel, wrote that the statute ? a restriction Congress imposed in the State Department?s annual budget bill ? ?unconstitutionally infringes on the president?s authority to conduct the nation?s diplomacy, and the State Department may disregard it.?

His opinion cites many examples of previous administrations of both parties taking a similar view. Among them, Mr. Bush used signing statements to instruct the State Department to interpret identical restrictions as ?advisory? rather than mandatory, and his administration sent officials to a Development Program meeting in January.

When Bush did this kind of stuff, it was evidence of tyranny. Now, it’s just business as usual. Everybody does it!

Full post as published by Instapundit.com on September 16, 2009 (boomark / email).