Michael Goldfarb, McCain's Newest Official, Says President Has "Near Dictatorial Powers"

Bill Kristol today proudly announces that one of his Weekly Standard staff members, Michael Goldfarb, was just named the Deputy Communications Director of the McCain campaign. Last April, this newest McCain official participated in a conference call with former Senator George Mitchell, during which Mitchell advocated a timetable for withdrawal from Iraq. Afterwards, this is what Goldfarb wrote about what he thinks are the powers the President possesses in our country:

Mitchell's less than persuasive answer [to whether withdrawal timetables "somehow infringe on the president's powers as commander in chief?"]: "Congress is a coequal branch of government...the framers did not want to have one branch in charge of the government."

True enough, but they sought an energetic executive with near dictatorial power in pursuing foreign policy and war. So no, the Constitution does not put Congress on an equal footing with the executive in matters of national security.

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Comments

[rabprevent]

IS ANYONE REALLY SURPRISE BY THEIR CRAP>

[MajorKong]

It's actually refreshing when someone like Goldfarb drops and all pretense and comes out and says what he really thinks. Utterly horrific, but refreshing.

[JRandomPoster]

Powers of congress (Article 8):

To declare war, grant letters of marque and reprisal, and make rules concerning captures on land and water;

To raise and support armies, but no appropriation of money to that use shall be for a longer term than two years;

To provide and maintain a navy;

To make rules for the government and regulation of the land and naval forces;

To provide for organizing, arming, and disciplining, the militia, and for governing such part of them as may be employed in the service of the United States, reserving to the states respectively, the appointment of the officers, and the authority of training the militia according to the discipline prescribed by Congress;

And Article 2, Section 2:

He shall have power, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate, to make treaties, provided two thirds of the Senators present concur;

[Myshkin57]

What is the justification for this guy's interpretation of the constitution? Has he even read it?

[lthuedk 1]

Blame it on the First Amendment Freeway, but when the Bush regime met every major criteria for full blown dictatorship status, why would anyone want to back away from identifying it as such?

http://www.light-to-dark.com/t_equals.html

To the dictatorship, matters of national security are you and me, not boogie men created to drive militant corporatism's insatiable appetite.

With such a protections racket in mind, the best candidate is McBush.

McBush in '08!

http://www.light-to-dark.com/McBush.html

[Jazzcomedian]

It's no surprise that Republican think this way. The Bush/Cheney administration has been America's first Soviet presidency. Cheney would've looked right at home standing next to Breshnev in the Politiburo. I wouldn't be surprised to find out that Vladimir Putin has been advising Bush on how to centralize power, decrease civil liberties, bypass Congress, and stonewall the press.

[lvdragonlady]

What flippin country is he running for president in? It can not be America!!!!
Hey dipsh*t!! This is America, we have a constitution, take your wanabe dictator and go somewhere else.
As soon as shrubie gets replaced, we will show you what we do with wanabe dictators..........

[racom]

This has got to be changed. With bush we have a looney tune, with mccain we would have a bona fide crazy. This has got to be changed now!!!

[karmafriend]

moveon.orgs "cousins" ad, that has been running on cnn, hits this nail on the head.

[Daly]

I love that Ad

[laylahb]

I just saw it again a few minutes ago, on CNN. I would love to see a "separated at birth" morphed photo of them at the end. That would sum it up.

[Clairvaux]

Yes, you corporatists like a CEO, don't you.

That's not the way it works in this country. Three co-equal branches moron.

Our Founding Fathers were trying to protect us from people like Bush and Cheney.

[abeattie]

"Why is Chelsea Clinton so ugly? Because her father is Janet Reno." - John McCain in 1998

http://www.salon.com/news/1998/06/25newsb.html

[Grannysue]

Yea and Bush complained about Saddam while him and Cheney trashed the Constitution, rule of law, habeus corpus, oversight you name it, and McSame thinks he's going to govern the same. Time to change our underwear and D.C. get rid of the dictators and slugs who have ruined the country!

[cdub1991]

Have these A-holes even READ the Constitution?

[Detestable]

And this is the guy the heartbroken Clinton supporters say they're going to flock to?

[nerakami]

democracy being the foundation of America's existence....

and who are the unpatriotic ones now?
The flag pin is a sad and pathetic guise used by the GOP to destroy what the forefathers of this nation have given their lives to build. They should all be publicly flogged...

[IntelligenceIsBliss]

The flag pin has become like the swastika lapel pin all the Nazi officials wore. The GOP should just change its name to the National Socialist American Workers Party.

[lvdragonlady]

Totally agree with you.
A flag pin means nothing if you do not honor the Constitution and the people who elected you.