But increasingly in recent months, the administration has been seeking ways to act without Congress. Branding its unilateral efforts “We Can’t Wait,” a slogan that aides said Mr. Obama coined at that strategy meeting, the White House has rolled out dozens of new policies — on creating jobs for veterans, preventing drug shortages, raising fuel economy standards, curbing domestic violence and more.
Each time, Mr. Obama has emphasized the fact that he is bypassing lawmakers. When he announced a cut in refinancing fees for federally insured mortgages last month, for example, he said: “If Congress refuses to act, I’ve said that I’ll continue to do everything in my power to act without them.”
The whole idea that the Executive merely carries out the laws enacted by Congress is sort of a distant memory, isn't it? "Everything in his power" includes a whole of power not authorized by the Constitution. Yes, I know the accumulation of executive power did not start with Obama. But like so many of the sins of the federal government -- like, oh, the national debt -- it's gotten much worse much faster under him.
I go back and forth on whether it's the Supreme Court or the president's office that has become the most dangerous to our freedom. The court can make sweeping changes that last for decades or forever, and because it sits in judgment over the branches, it usually has the last word. But the president has the more immediate ability to cause serious harm. This one has claimed the authority to have an American citizen killed, for goodness sake.
