Obama: 'A pen, a phone, a precedent' (Rationalizing an Imperialist American president)

As any informed grade school student could educate Ms. Marcus: Congress makes the laws, the President enforces the laws and the Court interprets the laws.  That, in a nutshell, is our governmental system.  Indeed, per the oath of office, the primary responsibility of the President is to “support and defend” the Constitution.  Not to perpetually rule by executive fiat (a.k.a. the pen and phone) cherry-picking the laws you like and disregarding or arbitrarily amending the laws you don’t agree with or are not politically convenient.  That is the purview of whimsical Kings and autocratic Dictators.  That, in practice, is “lawlessness” as any clear-thinking person knows.

Ms. Marcus' attempt to muddy the waters is feeble.  By suggesting that Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation—which freed the slaves and actually affirms the fundamental principle of the Constitution that “All men are created equal”— is the same thing as suspending certain deportations of non-US citizens (not “defending” the law) is profoundly Orwellian reasoning.  Likewise, that Jefferson’s Louisiana Purchase (Is the State Department or diplomacy suddenly no longer a part of the executive branch?) and delaying, revising or rewriting—Ms. Marcus' words—Congressional edicts by the Obama Administration (a.k.a. “legislating” not “executing” the law) demonstrates willful ignorance and a dereliction of her journalistic duty.

Ms. Marcus is certainly doing her part to ensure that transparency and the rule of law are the touchstones of the Obama presidency.

Twitter: @DavidHunterblog
http://www.americanthinker.com/author/david_l_hunter/
http://canadafreepress.com/members/74987/DavidLHunter/976