# Does the next POTUS have carte blanche? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [January 9, 2008, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-next-potus-have-carte-blanche/432865 "2008-01-09T16:48:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2008, 12:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-next-potus-have-carte-blanche/432865/21 "2008-01-10T12:00:22Z")
[QUOTE=Der Trihs] I think they will. Just as the Nixon pardon did, in my opinion. We’ve made it pretty clear that a President break any law, commit any evil as he likes and not be held accountable. [/QUOTE] Isn’t that just a result of the power shifting away from Congress to the President, which has been happening since FDR? ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2008, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-next-potus-have-carte-blanche/432865/22 "2008-01-10T13:26:07Z")
[QUOTE=Bryan Ekers] Isn’t that just a result of the power shifting away from Congress to the President, which has been happening since FDR? [/QUOTE] Considering the difference between the treatment of Clinton and Bush, no. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2008, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-next-potus-have-carte-blanche/432865/23 "2008-01-10T14:33:19Z")
[QUOTE=Der Trihs] Considering the difference between the treatment of Clinton and Bush, no. [/QUOTE] Nah, I can’t buy that. Was Clinton ever really in jeopardy, or was it just congress making a lot of noise? ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2008, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-next-potus-have-carte-blanche/432865/24 "2008-01-10T19:39:43Z")
[QUOTE=treis] [http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18412464/](http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18412464/) [/QUOTE] Eh. That bill didn’t require anything-- it just said that Bush needed to “start” bringing troops home with the goal of having them all out by a certain time. Even if he had signed it, he could’ve done exactly what he’s doing now. That bill had no teeth. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Controvert](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dec6dc/32.png) [@The\_Controvert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Controvert)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2008, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-next-potus-have-carte-blanche/432865/25 "2008-01-11T16:49:59Z")
Is Bush a precedent of bad president, or a president of bad precedent? ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2008, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-next-potus-have-carte-blanche/432865/26 "2008-01-11T16:50:56Z")
[QUOTE=The Controvert] Is Bush a precedent of bad president, or a president of bad precedent? [/QUOTE] I’m still waiting for an answer to my post #6. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Controvert](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dec6dc/32.png) [@The\_Controvert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Controvert)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2008, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-next-potus-have-carte-blanche/432865/27 "2008-01-12T02:04:44Z")
[Colbert]I’ll put you down for a president of bad precedent.[/Colbert] [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-next-potus-have-carte-blanche/432865.md?page=1)