Are Republicans Abandoning Law and Order?

George W. Bush's Impeachable Offenses

According to the Washington Post, the Bush administration describes the president’s war making power under the Constitution as “plenary” -- meaning absolute. The founders would roll over in their graves at this interpretation of a document that was actually designed to limit the presidential war power, resulting from their revulsion at the way European monarchs easily took their countries to war and foisted the costs -- in blood and treasure -- on their people. Conservative Bob Barr, a former Congressman from Georgia who was quoted in the Post, said it best: “The American people are going to have to say, ‘Enough of this business of justifying everything as necessary for the war on terror.’ Either the Constitution and the laws of this country mean something or they don’t. It is truly frightening what is going on in this country.”

Tags: plenary, Bush, constitution, domestic spying