NO WET PAWS, PLEASE
Neither Hemingway nor Joy like wet paws.
But Hemingway is especially reluctant. Our recent light rains gave him plenty of reason to stay on the chair.
EMERGING SPRING
BOEHNER IS A BONE HEAD
Some of our founders must be spinning over the jack ass moves of John Boehner.
The constitution gives exclusive powers to the President to receive ambassadors and public ministers of foreign governments. Boehner violated that historic and important principal by inviting Israel's Benjamin Netanyahu to address congress. His vindictive winner take all style of opposition politics might earn him applause from the far right and anti Obama forces, but it is dead wrong. It could be a disastrous precedent in an increasingly dangerous and complex world.
The US Congress is an independent body of course, but historically partisan politics end at the shore. In foreign policy and diplomacy, the US has and must speak with a single voice. The reasons are obvious and borne out by history.
The US cannot deal with other nations with more than a single voice and intent. That is not to say we cannot have robust internal debate, but in bilateral relationships, only the Chief Executive has the power to engage foreign officials and especially heads of state.
Boehner is an inept Speaker and now he becomes an historic blunderer. Even if you are a conservative, Republican, or not a fan of Barack Obama, you must still respect the institution and history of the Presidency and its exclusive role in bilateral relationships. Boehner is a fool and a mean spirited one at that. His move on Netanyahu, meant to embarrass the President and to boost Netanyahu in his own political race, is wrong and indicative of how low the Republican party is stooping. As a matter of fact I suspect Ev Dirksen, John Foster Dulles, Teddy Roosevelt, William McKinley, Henry Clay, Robert Lafollete, Robert Taft and many other Republicans are spinning as well.
Boehner should spend the remainder of this term of congress with a bright yellow A emblazoned on his forehead.
See you down the trail.
Boehner will probably go down as the most incompetent Speaker we've ever had. Yet he's probably a good thing for Obama because Boehner and the Republicans are proving they're all talk and no better at getting things done than the Democrats.
ReplyDeleteThat first photo of the cats is a classic.
ReplyDeleteYou say,
ReplyDelete"The constitution gives exclusive powers to the President to receive ambassadors and public ministers of foreign governments." Could you point out to me where this is stated in the Constituion?
The constitution says in Article II Section 2:
"he [the president] shall nominate, and by and with the Advice and Consent of the Senate, shall appoint Ambassadors, other public Ministers and Consuls, Judges of the supreme Court, and all other Officers of the United States, whose Appointments are not herein otherwise provided for". Where does it state that he has "exclusive power to receive ambassadors or heads of state'?
There is a difference between "receiving" and "appointing" isn't there? It makes sense that Congress should receive all relevant information before enacting legislation related to a foreign power.
While Boehner may go down as incompetent, we have a president aptly described as feckless. The effectiveness of his foreign policy can be measured by the present state of affairs with Russia.
It is actually in article 2 section 3…"he shall receive Ambassadors and other public Ministers…"no such powers are provided for any element of the legislative (congress) or judicial branch. It is the role of the President as stipulated in the constitution.
ReplyDeleteTom is right about usurping the President's Constitutional assignment re representing the country to the nations of the world. But if bright yellow A's are being distributed for trespassing on Constitutional prerogatives, the first one goes to the Mahdi for breeching the first 11 words of Article I: "All legislative Powers herein granted shall be vested in a Congress."
ReplyDeleteMr Obama has been the greatest usurper of the lawmaking power in the history of the country -- a considerably more dangerous affront.
Even so, 2 wrongs don't make a right and we can't be rid of both of them soon enough.