The truth about what Hillary said on giving up Presidential powers

[incapsulated]

Not the lies. Not the headline attacked as if it was a quote. Not the usual twisting of words to slam her for making the statement any of you who harp on this should be pleased with if you really cared, and aren't playing games.

I would be happy if ANY of the democratic candidates said this, give her some credit for once.

On executive power, I pointed out that if elected she would be entering the White House with far more power than her husband had as a result of moves by Bush and Dick Cheney to invest a degree of unilateral power in the executive branch that some find dangerous. "Well, I think it is clear that the power grab undertaken by the Bush-Cheney administration has gone much further than any other president and has been sustained for longer," Clinton said. "Other presidents like Lincoln have had to take on extraordinary powers but would later go to the Congress for either ratification or rejection."

She continued: "There were a lot of actions which they took that were clearly beyond any power the Congress would have granted or that in my view that was inherent in the constitution. There were other actions they've taken which could have obtained congressional authorisation but they deliberately chose not to pursue it as a matter of principle."

Here I asked whether a sitting president, once invested with such powers, could really give some of them up in the name of constitutional principle. Clinton said: "Oh, absolutely, Michael. I mean that has to be part of the review that I undertake when I get to the White House, and I intend to do that."

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uselections08/hillaryclinton/story/0,,2197048,00.html

And before anyone starts with "omg, REVIEW she is going to REVIEW??" How do you think she is going to find out exactly what they have done without an exhaustive review of that pit of darkness they will leave behind?

[fenriswolf]

1. ill belive it when i see it.

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2. I agree

For any of them.

But I have seen her attacked multiple times over this, misquoted and all sorts of nonsense.

I want the record straight.

[ShortnFiery]

3. Yes, that's much more clear. Thanks.

"Oh, absolutely, Michael. I mean that has to be part of the review that I undertake when I get to the White House, and I intend to do that."

[incapsulated]

4. Sad...

That the typical use of the world "I" that every damn candidate uses with such questions is your only "complaint".

[ShortnFiery]

5. No, in addition "part of the review" is also in question.

Many Presidential Candidates take care to emphasize that they are part of "a team." :shrug:

[Kagemusha]

6. The reason this is new is because Hillary carefully avoided saying this before.

If she means any of it, great. It's a major concession from her previous position.

[incapsulated]

7. What have the other candidates said?

I'm quite serious. I would applaud any candidate who says as much.

[Kagemusha]

8. ....Google 'American Freedom Campaign'

That group crafted a pledge relating to this very issue and has a list of candidate responses that will provide fairly exhaustive detail about their relative positions. You're welcome.

[incapsulated]

9. Thanks

That is good but it doesn't ask them to specifically address the question. I would like a statement from all of them on this.

[Kagemusha]

10. ...I didn't think the views assembled were unclear but, okay.

At any rate, to a large extent it doesn't even matter what they think. A good deal of the "power" that Bush has "accumulated" is really nothing more than brass knuckle politics with Congress not standing up to it.

[incapsulated]

11. Actually...

They have had dozens of legal statements issued to justice as "justification" for all of this. They all need to be thrown out.

[Kagemusha]

13. Just saying but, those are legal opinions, not laws or constitutional amendments

They might have uses though. For fireplaces.

[incapsulated]

15. They have been enough for Bush

That is why this kind of executive power is so hard to dislodge. They just take it and justify it and then it is just the way things are.

In fact, it is the one and only argument for impeachment that I accepted. That if it is allowed to stand without repudiation from the congress, the chances of getting those powers back are dim.

[AtomicKitten]

12. Those delicious expanded powers may be too intoxicating to give up.

[incapsulated]

14. Indeed, which is why I want to hear them all say....

They are unconstitutional and should be relinquished back to the congress and as President they would do just that.

She has and I'm giving her credit for at least saying it. If she is elected I will hold her to it.

No republican will, that is for sure.

[Adelante]

17. You're right

:thumbsup:

They should all be on record on this so we can call them on it if we have to. I don't care who the candidate is, all of them.

[formercia]

16. But Hillary still didn't commit to giving up the powers.

Spin it however you like, the fact is she didn't say she would deauthorize any powers at all.

It's all lawyer speak on her part.

I say bullshit on her.

[mmonk]

18. Some have said alot of what she said (and I guess you are pleased).

It's good that she said what she did. I like what Dodd said better than all the other candidates have though. The first thing he said he will do when he takes office is restore the constitution of the US and do what he can do immediately through executive order. Now that's definitive.

[formercia]

19. He said something definitive

something you can hold him to, but all members of the Federal Government swear to uphold and defend the Constitution.

To do otherwise would be Treason.

[mmonk]

20. True but he knows it isn't and says definitively

he will REINSTATE it through his office and executive action. That's different in a sense in that it brings in a reality not all recognize.

[formercia]

21. The problem with having lawyers in Congress

is that they are always trying to finess their public statements so that nobody can pin them down.

I think lawyers should only be allowed on staff and not on the floor.

[William769]

22. K&R!

Because the truth really does matter.

[Tom Rinaldo]

23. K&R also. I would do this fror any of our candidates

I am sick to death of cut and paste smears and the like. Let's have our debates after we are sure that we have the true and full picture of what we are debating.

[The Doctor.]

24. She intends to 'review' the notion.

There is no promise to relinquish.