Libya, DREAM Act, Cap and Trade

Unchecked Executive Power

By Val Jensen II
Friday, July 1, 2011

The Obama administration sometimes acts as if there is no co-equal legislative branch of government. President Obama, on at least two contentious issues, has recently bypassed Congress in attempts to implement and enact unchecked power. Our founding fathers split power into three distinct branches with three distinct functions in the deliberate attempt to diffuse power so that it does not end up in the hands of just one and to enable a thorough check-and-balance system. However, creativity in finding work-arounds when faced with a branch or part of a branch that is controlled by the opposing party is ever-tempting.

The President did not seek congressional authorization for military intervention in Libya, but joined NATO, under the auspices of a UN resolution, in a bombing campaign which has so far cost the U.S. taxpayers around $664 million, according to a leaked memo reported by the Financial Times. On the flipside, President Bush did go to Congress for authorization to use force, which it approved in a joint resolution authorizing the war in Iraq. President Obama’s justification is that the current effort in Libya is not really putting U.S. forces into “hostilities,â€