Bush: how far is too going too far?

[elucidator]

10. To the barricades, patriots! No pasaran![

[Squink]

@John Mace

Party loyalty plays second fiddle to protecting your turf from the other branches of gov’t. Look at the stink that was made over the legitimate search of a Congressman’s office earlier this year.

That wasn’t just bureaucratic ‘turf’ being threatened, it was the personal skin of a corrupt politician. As such, it was a hang together, or hang separately moment for many in congress.
A better example of how hard congress works to protect its turf from the executive is found in Arlen Specter’s NSA surveillance initiative: a capitulation to administration claims of executive power.

[kaylasdad99]

@Menocchio

Blanche, you’re joking, right?

I mean, I’m 99% sure you’re kidding, but I just want to be sure.

Those answers from a self-described “fairly moderate Bush supporter”?

Either kidding, or totally out to lunch wrt having a realistic working definition of the term “fairly moderate.”

[John_Mace]

@Squink

That wasn’t just bureaucratic ‘turf’ being threatened, it was the personal skin of a corrupt politician. As such, it was a hang together, or hang separately moment for many in congress.
A better example of how hard congress works to protect its turf from the executive is found in Arlen Specter’s NSA surveillance initiative: a capitulation to administration claims of executive power.

Not really. The NSA program doesn’t challenge turf given to Congress explicitly in the constitution-- you know, like the power to declare war.

[BrainGlutton]

@John Mace

Not really. The NSA program doesn’t challenge turf given to Congress explicitly in the constitution-- you know, like the power to declare war.

What need, any more, to challenge it? Congress hasn’t declare war since 1941, but we’ve still gotten into a great many. And with the War Powers Resolution, the president can commit us to any conflict asking no one’s leave, and then dare Congress not to pony up the funds!