They tried to get Washington to be King of the US, you know. He would have none of it. Our founders had something better in mind: separation of powers, a limited executive, and the rule of law. It almost seems that we’ve come full circle, to a man unelected president, who has tried to act like a king. And it does seem to me that we’ve been wandering in strange territory, near to a yawning abyss. But Andrew Sullivan writes that this has happened before. I guess I need to brush up on my US history, because I feel like the Hamdan decision has been a message from reality, which we’ve received in the twilight zone.
This is not an unprecedented moment in America’s constitutional history. In war-time, presidents have over-reached before, and they will over-reach again. The over-reach is often for good reasons; and after 9/11, it’s understandable that some corners were cut. What this decision represents is therefore the re-balancing of the constitutional order, after the heat of the moment. Think of it as the moment when King George’s crown was yanked off his head. The Congress has tried a couple of times, but been foiled by “signing statements.” So the judiciary has stepped in. Other presidents have tried mini-coronations. What we are seeing is the end of the latest monarchical pretension.
In any case, I’m heartened to see that the latest Time poll shows Bush’s approval slipping, and that approximately two thirds of Americans are now cognizant that we’re going to hell in a bucket. That’s good. The first step is admitting we have a problem. I could spell it out, but I just can’t think of a nice way to phrase it. But let’s try this:
Go to your favorite weather web site, and look at tonight’s projected low temperature. Now compare that to your IQ. If the temperature tonight is higher, please serve your country by staying home on election day. If more people had done that for the last two presidential elections, we wouldn’t be in this mess.
Metaphor 