Legal Commentary

The Now Not So Irrelevant President?

By Big Tent Democrat

I had my fun with some Village bloggers regarding their arguments defending President Obama as not being able to control the Congress, so I must admit to an internal chuckle when I read this from Ezra Klein today:

Bush had this right. In his first year in office, he was using recess appointments and running major legislation through the reconciliation process. That normalized those moves for the rest of his administration. Using those tools wasn't a story. The Obama White House, by contrast, is holding those moves in reserve, which has allowed Republicans to paint them as extraordinary measures. But they're not extraordinary measures. They're basic elements of governance in an era of polarization and procedural obstructionism, and the White House should treat them that way.

Now he tells us. For a year, he told us Obama could not do such things. Well, better late than never.

Speaking for me only

Full post as published by TalkLeft on February 10, 2010 (boomark / email).