Dear Opposition Friends
[posted by Callimachus]
Lest you think this is all so easy, and decide too soon whose side you ought to be on in the tug-of-war between the White House and Congress over executive privilege, remember this wrestling match will last longer than just one administration. And in a few cycles, who knows? The balance and loci of political power may reverse.
Remember, too, that some of the dearest achievements of the last century -- desegregation, for instance -- were accomplished largely by unilateral executive action. By contrast, the Palmer Raids, perhaps the most flagrant abuse of government power in modern American history, took place under Congressional fiat, at a time when the executive branch was effectively paralyzed (by a dying president) and the much-loathed McCarthy hearings were a pure assertion of Congressional authority against the executive branch.
Lest you think this is all so easy, and decide too soon whose side you ought to be on in the tug-of-war between the White House and Congress over executive privilege, remember this wrestling match will last longer than just one administration. And in a few cycles, who knows? The balance and loci of political power may reverse.
Remember, too, that some of the dearest achievements of the last century -- desegregation, for instance -- were accomplished largely by unilateral executive action. By contrast, the Palmer Raids, perhaps the most flagrant abuse of government power in modern American history, took place under Congressional fiat, at a time when the executive branch was effectively paralyzed (by a dying president) and the much-loathed McCarthy hearings were a pure assertion of Congressional authority against the executive branch.
