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

[YuryGetsin]

Anyone who feels even the slightly surprised by something like this is slightly stupid. I propose a 1:1 ration between how stupid you are and how surprised you are.

Vote Obama
The Educated Choice

[swift goat pet for truth]

And he thinks McCain should have them, too.

But not Obama.

[swift goat pet for truth]

And this guy is on Bush's side!

[jeffp26]

Is this new guy another one of Cheney's cousins?

[trollsbwild]

Sorry. Just because this POTUS is behaving like a dictator does not mean the law allows him to do so. The legislative branch has proven to be almost as incompetent as the WH, if that is possible.

[lisakaz2]

Gutless. Don't know about competence.

[RTIII]

Nancy says she just doesn't have the votes.

REPLACE NANCY.

Today, the 8th congressional district - NANCY'S DISTRICT - is voting to see who will be the Democratic Nominee in November for her seat!

VOTE FOR SHIRLEY GOLUB INSTEAD! Do It TODAY!

[legalgirl]

Actually, I believe it's Harry Reid who can't get the votes -- now we're down two in the Senate without Byrd and Kennedy (sending healing thoughts). I was, however, quite surprised to read recently of his dislike for Bluedog Democrats (conservatives), so maybe he's NOT the problem, but rather, they are. Vote them out.

[beaupritchard]

A statement to theeffect that he McCain would use his own judgement and experience in deciding what he would do as president rather than what we as citizen would like him to do is the reason I would never vote for McCain. Not just his tendency towards autocracy ... but the fact that no where has his judgement on any event been found to have been right makes him unfit to be president.

McCain should realize the public has not asked him for his experience or judgement in Iraq ... we've asked him to get out. To the extent that he wants to argue the case ... to shade things as better than they were and even if they are ... to prepose if we leave this will happen scenarios ... misses the point.

In 2006 we said get out and republicans lost both houses ... still Bush and republicans did not listen. In 2008 I predict republicans and McCain will get crushed.

[nicciaugust]

I'm sure that's exactly what McCain wants. He must be thrilled to have someone who will tell him that all he as to do is win the election in November and he can be Dictator of the United States.

[TheRebel82]

LMAO! I guess these idiotic repukes haven't learned from the past 8 years. Better for us HA, they'll get CREAMED in Nov.

[Grunty1]

I'd like to call the guy a moron, but after the Decider's presidency, he is pretty much right.
Reason #1 to keep the Repubs from office for the next 100 years

This was posted second, let's see if it goes through WITHOUT his name...

[Grunty1]

I wish I could call Goldfarb a moron, but in the post-Bush world, he is pretty much right.
Reason number 1 not to let any Republican in office for a 100 years.

[Deparis]

Why would this surprise anyone?

[IslandGyal]

War, war and more wars... Harriet Christian PLEASE vote for McCain.

[nyhfrog]

Bush=Sulla
McCain=Marius

They are reversed on the timetable from the originals but the result will be the same if it is not stopped:

We will descend into a decadent empire with a disinterested populace and eventually we will fall by our own hubris.

Obama '08

[FogBelter]

This is why a National Confidence Referendum should be mandatory for Senators, Congressmen, and the President at the end of the 90 day War Powers Act period. If the American people vote no confidence to the Military direction the Nation is taking the troops must be responsibly withdrawn within 120 days from the No Confidence vote or a Special Election for the Entire Senate, Congress, and President needs to be called.

These Government Officials are the employees of the citizens of the United States of America ... they need to feel the stick sometimes ... not just enjoy the carrot. Then we won't have to tolerate the imperious ramblings of underlings like Goldfarb.

[Sundialsvc4]

Well, there's a lot of stuff about this in "the Federalist Papers," which is pretty-much the closest thing that we have to a window into the minds of the framers of the Constitution at the time. Various European nations do employ the notion of "the vote of no-confidence," and this, too, is rather-decidedly "a mixed bag." In other words, this concept ... appealing though it may be ... also has its share of problems.

All in all, I think that the concept of "Checks and Balances" really was the best compromise. However, the Founders had no way to imagine "the military-industrial complex," funded by "borrowed (heh, heh...) money" to the tune of "more than $1 million a minute 24/7/365." I guess they never imagined that their successors would ever stoop that low...

Our best bet is: drag Impeachment ONTO the table ... "by what authority does Nancy Pelosi say that it is 'off the table?!?!?!'" ... and make it happen. Laws are worthless unless laws are enforced.

[cdub1991]

What the founders had in mind was the Congress being the power that actual declared war and approved funding. With the War Powers Act, congress has effectively abnegated that responsibility, since we no longer actual have legally defined "wars." Also, they have the ability to cut funding and thereby end the operation, but this congress has lacked the will to do that. I only partially blame them for this, however, since the populace has signed off on this argument that cutting funding is "not supporting the troops" as opposed to forcing the President to bring them home.

[RTIII]

TODAY is the Democratic primary in San Franciso!

IF you are in the 8th congressional district, vote TODAY for Shirley Golub as the Democratic nominee for this particular seat in the House of Representatives!

If this fails, we still have ONE more chance - Cindy Sheehan, independant - in November.

[NotesFromME]

Obviously a guy who has never bothered to actually READ the Constitution or the Federalist papers.

The sole power to declare war and to fund the military was considered by the Framers to be more than sufficient to check the power of the executive in regards to war. Now, if Congress would only do their job...

Why are Republicans so uniformly ignorant of the Constitution?

[lisakaz2]

Of course not. They hate the Constitution. Gets in the way of their power hunger. This is supposed to make America "great." No, not by a longshot. Iraq is bankrupting We the People versus the corporatists. It's not we the corporation.

[RTIII]

Get your rhetoric straight - it's FASCIST, not corporatist.

You are right, though; a corporation is not a human being and has no inalienable rights. We desperately need to de-humanize - de-personify - the corporation IMMEDIATELY.

[TakeBackAmerica]

I would think the answer is self evident - because Republicans are uniformly ignorant in general.

[WasteNJ]

You said it.

[drkazmd65]

Sadly - I feel I must add a couple of caveats to your post:

1) Most (not all) voters that consistently vote Republican are uniformly ignorant - but especially about the content and intent of the Constitution as regards the powers of the Chief Executive.

2) Most Republican Politicians and Money Men/Women are not ignorant of the content and intent of the Constitution - they just chose to ignore them and hope we the people don't catch on.