Dripping With Irony
It was late fall in 2000 when it all started.
We had just spent the better part of the last twenty years where our Executive Branch was by far the most powerful of the three ring circus that is our government. Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton had been our leaders during this time.
Each of these men had their faults and were hampered by them toward the end of their tenure in office. One even lost an election because of it. Still, the era was unmistakably theirs. Congress and the Supreme Court were the lesser rings, playing subordinate roles to the power of the President.
The election of 2000 seemed to have changed that. Al Gore and George W. Bush were in the tightest of race. Gore won the popular vote. But the electoral vote -- the only one that matters -- was bogged down in the courts. The future of our nation was held by the state of Florida.
Florida's courts and governor were at odds. We were at an impasse. It looked as though we were never going to have a next President.
Then the Supreme Court stepped in. And in a 5-4 vote, effectively elected George W. Bush the President of the United States.
The tide of power shifted immediately to the Judicial Branch. It seemed that was where it would stay until the planes reigned terror from the skies.
Since then, well, some may say we went back to the pre-election days of a powerful presidency. Others, like me, say we changed as a country and had a tyrant rather than a President in office.
The Supreme Court, however, didn't seem ready yet to relinquish its authority.
In a 5-3 ruling, the Court blocked Guantanamo Bay military tribunals for suspected terrorists imprisoned there. For the first time since September 11th, someone checked Bush's authority.
This decision can have lasting effects on the rest of Bush's regime, which will officially end January 20, 2009. Other infringements he has made under the guise of the Patriot Act can now also be called into question. This includes the NSA's wiretapping of citizens and perhaps his ability to make unilateral decisions in the war on terror.
The very body that put Bush into office just politically emasculated him.
All hail Justice Kennedy!!
We had just spent the better part of the last twenty years where our Executive Branch was by far the most powerful of the three ring circus that is our government. Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton had been our leaders during this time.
Each of these men had their faults and were hampered by them toward the end of their tenure in office. One even lost an election because of it. Still, the era was unmistakably theirs. Congress and the Supreme Court were the lesser rings, playing subordinate roles to the power of the President.
The election of 2000 seemed to have changed that. Al Gore and George W. Bush were in the tightest of race. Gore won the popular vote. But the electoral vote -- the only one that matters -- was bogged down in the courts. The future of our nation was held by the state of Florida.
Florida's courts and governor were at odds. We were at an impasse. It looked as though we were never going to have a next President.
Then the Supreme Court stepped in. And in a 5-4 vote, effectively elected George W. Bush the President of the United States.
The tide of power shifted immediately to the Judicial Branch. It seemed that was where it would stay until the planes reigned terror from the skies.
Since then, well, some may say we went back to the pre-election days of a powerful presidency. Others, like me, say we changed as a country and had a tyrant rather than a President in office.
The Supreme Court, however, didn't seem ready yet to relinquish its authority.
In a 5-3 ruling, the Court blocked Guantanamo Bay military tribunals for suspected terrorists imprisoned there. For the first time since September 11th, someone checked Bush's authority.
This decision can have lasting effects on the rest of Bush's regime, which will officially end January 20, 2009. Other infringements he has made under the guise of the Patriot Act can now also be called into question. This includes the NSA's wiretapping of citizens and perhaps his ability to make unilateral decisions in the war on terror.
The very body that put Bush into office just politically emasculated him.
All hail Justice Kennedy!!
posted by E-Luv at 9:12 AM
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