Why Do Lib Dims Say President Bush Has Too Much Power?

Question

Any high school graduate knows the constitution gives presidents a lot of power. The executive branch has always been the most powerful branch. In the last several decades, the Supreme Court has become the most powerful branch of government (because of the ideology of Chief Justice Rehnquist).

Presidents control the military, CIA, the Justice Department, the Treasury, the Border Patrol, the Department of Homeland Security, the D.O.E., the USDA, the Health and Human Services Department, the Department of Transportation, the Department of Commerce, etc.. And presidents' powers are expanded during the time of war.

Presidents also have the right to attack other countries anytime they deem it necessary (and congress has the right to declare war). High school graduates know F.D.R. and Truman decided the outcome of World War 2, not congress.

The constitution gives presidents the right to attack countries without the permission of congress (Article II Section 2). Any attempt by congress to limit a president's constitutional right would violate "separation of powers"

1) Constitution:
Article II, Section 2
"President shall be Commander in Chief of the Army and Navy of the United States, and of the Militia of the several States, when called into the actual Service of the United States."
Article II, Section 1.
"The executive power shall be vested in a President of the United States of America."

2) SUPREME COURT RULINGS:
a) Johnson v. Eisentrager, 339 U.S. 763, 789 (1950) (President has authority to deploy United States armed forces "abroad or to any particular region")
b) Fleming v. Page, 50 U.S. (9 How.) 603, 615 (1850) ("As commander-in-chief, [the President] is authorized to direct the movements of the naval and military forces placed by law at his command, and to employ them in the manner he may deem most effectual")
c) Loving v. United States, 517 U.S. 748, 776 (1996) (Scalia, J., concurring in part and concurring in judgment) (The "inherent powers" of the Commander in Chief "are clearly extensive.")

d) Maul v. United States, 274 U.S. 501, 515-16 (1927) (Brandeis & Holmes, JJ., concurring) (President "may direct any revenue cutter to cruise in any waters in order to perform any duty of the service")
e) Massachusetts v. Laird, 451 F.2d 26, 32 (1st Cir. 1971) (the President has "power as Commander-in-Chief to station forces abroad"); Authority to Use United States Military Forces in Somalia, 16 Op. O.L.C. 6 (1992).

Clinton was sued when he used force to return refugees to Haiti. The Supreme Court rightly said Clinton did nothing wrong when people accused him of abusing his presidential powers. http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/organizations/s/supreme_court/index.html?query=HAITI-INTERNATIONAL%20RELATIONS-US&field=des&match=exact

About Supreme Court Justice Rehnquist: "his inclination to LIMIT the national government’s power to impose constitutional demands via the Fourteenth Amendment, and to grant greater leeway for states’ authority in federalism relations." http://www.bsos.umd.edu/gvpt/lpbr/subpages/reviews/bradley0606.htm

More about Rehnquist and the transfer of power to the Supreme Court:
http://www.law.stanford.edu/publications/stanford_lawyer/issues/72/sl72_TheRehnquistCourt.pdf

Answer 1

Because Libs don't approve of the way Bush is using his power. If you think someone isn't using power properly, then chances are you want that person to have less of it.

Answer 2

Presidents are supposed to obtain Congressional approval, not be a dictator and invade a country for any old reason they happen to come up with.

And, Daisy? Sissy boys? FDR---WWII. Truman---WWII. Both Dems. Eisenhower---Korea. Rep. We cut and ran. Eisenhower also sent the first American "observers" into Vietnam. Nixon--Rep. Got us out of Vietnam in a very dishonorable way. Bush, Sr.--Rep---Iraq. Unfinished business. Jr.---Iraq by lying to us and imposing his will on Congress. Patriot Act? Can you say Brown Shirts?

I was totally against going into Iraq, but now that we've stuck our noses in, can we in conscience just abandon those people? Is this going to be another cut and run?

Answer 3

You obviously haven't graduated HS. Our government has 3 branches that are given different powers as a means to prevent a small group from gaining total control. It's a concept called checks and balances. George Bush has done everything he can think of to circumvent these checks.
The President has no right to attack anyone. Congress has the sole power to declare war. Bush got around this because he had a Republican led congress that rubber stamped anything he wanted.
You might want to do a little research, it might stop you from posting things like this.

Answer 4

Well you are right. However the department of homeland security is one of those things created by your bud. I don't care how much power he has or doesn't have. Being an abuser of such power doesn't make it ok. Would you be happy if he invaded Canada because he wanted to? That would be just fine with you as long as the president said it was ok?

Answer 5

We can throw snipits from history around for hours or I can tell you the truth. President Bush is an "R". They will not tell you that they have the answer, but they go on endlessly about how the R that does is wrong. If he had any power as the president of the United States. The D would tell you how it is far too much.

Answer 6

i'm glad you graduated high school...the three branches of government were designed to watch over the activities of each other.
bush has had "too much power" because the house and senate, under republican control, ceased its oversight of the president function. whatever he wanted he got.

Answer 7

The liberals hate anyone who has a spine and has control. They are okay with weasel-type people like Jimmy Peanut Carter, or Look-what-I-got-in-my-front-pocket-for-you Clinton, because they don't feel intimidated or threated by sissy boys. But once a real man is in the Whitehouse who carries out what he says he is going to do, they raise a hissy fit. Silly rabbits.

Answer 8

You are incorrect.
In fact you are so wrong.
The Constitution states explicitly that the President CANNOT have this much power to avoid tyranny.

President is rewritting the Constitution to suit his agenda.

Answer 9

Hello. The PATRIOT ACT is big brother at its worst. Goodbye civil liberties, hello Animal Farm.
BTW, This is a war based on false pretenses and a Pres. who can't admit he screwed up. 3000 plus dead GI's. One of whom was my brother you idiot.

Answer 10

Because if they do not control everything they become afraid that others will see how useless they are.