Last Call

John Podhoretz considers President Obama to be "weak" for making this week's recess appointments to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and the National Labor Relations Board, which is actually kind of hysterically funny.

Maybe it’s the best hand Obama has to play, but it’s not a very good hand. For one thing, the voters who have turned on him don’t think he has exercised too little power, but rather too much — so bragging about doing things without congressional sanction may not play well.

Second, no matter how resolute he sounds, the fact that he has to act in a somewhat rogue manner is an expression of a profound loss of presidential authority — and one that he can’t successfully blame on Congress.

The hysterically funny part is that we do remember the fact that Podhoretz wrote a book about President George W. Bush expanding the powers of the executive office called "Bush Country: How Dubya Became A Great President While Driving Liberals Insane" right?  The entire premise of the book, in Podhoretz's own words?

''Love him or hate him, respect him or revile him, George W. Bush has made extraordinary use of the powers of the presidency and has changed the United States, its government and the world in ways that have made an indelible mark on the new century.''

In fact, Bush the Younger used the power quite often.  But not as much as President Reagan did.

According to reports from the Congressional Research Service, during their time in office President Ronald Reagan made 240 recess appointments, President George H. W. Bush made 77 recess appointments, President Bill Clinton made 140 recess appointments, and George W. Bush made 171. Obama's first term has seen a paltry 28. In this context, Obama's move seems less like a power grab and more like the proverbial 98-pound weakling taking a second to wipe the sand out of his eyes.

It's okay if a Republican does it, apparently.  Funny how that works in Podhoretz's little corner of non-reality.  The GOP seems especially incensed because they claim the Senate was "in session" at the time, meaning that the appointments were unconstitutional.  Nary a peep out of the Republicans when Dubya was doing the same thing with the power of the executive.  Barely a word when Newt Gingrich last month declared he would simply ignore the Supreme Court if he didn't agree with them.

But Barack Obama makes a recess appointment, and it's TREE OF LIBERTY MUST BE REFRESHED WITH THE BLOOD OF TYRANTS time.  Hey, Republicans?  You have a recourse.  Reconvene the House.  Present articles of impeachment over this.  Let's see what you've got.

Otherwise, you're whinging about a power spelled out in the Constitution itself.  Shut it.