Boehner’s highly selective concerns about executive power

Boehner’s highly selective concerns about executive power

By Steve Benen at MSNBC

http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/boehners-highly-selective-concerns-about-executive-power

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Yesterday afternoon, House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) issued a memo to lawmakers, outlining his plans to sue President Obama for having “circumvented the Congress through executive action.” The 831-word document included exactly zero specific examples of presidential actions Boehner considers offensive and/or impermissible.

Around the same time, the Republican leader held a press conference to justify his plan. After plenty of overheated rhetoric about executive overreach and the importance of separation of powers and adherence to constitutional law, Boehner fielded a question about U.S. policy in Iraq. The Speaker replied:

“I called for more increased U.S. activity a year ago. In January, when the ISIS forces came across the Iraq border and began to gather territory, I called on the administration to act. And it’s not my job to outline for the president what tools he should use or not use. It’s not my job to outline the strategy for the president when it comes to the overall fight against terrorism. I don’t have as many tools at my disposal as the president does.

“And so this is the president’s responsibility. He’s elected president. He’s elected to lead.”


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