We have seen, on certain media outlets, the repeated declarations by the President, that in the past he recognized that he did not have the authority to write law or circumvent Congress.

No where to be found during these past declarations were there law departments, legal minds, or journalistic analysts disagreeing with the President.  The President was correct. His executive powers are limited  No arguments.

Flash forward to today.  The President declares he does have the power to circumvent Congress and dismiss previous legislation, a diametrical position to his previous one, yet again all seem to agree.  How can this be?  Where are the legal scholars, the other Constitutional experts from the ivory towers who agreed with the first position but are now silent on the contrary one?

Just as Obama railed against the inherent unfairness of just nine people of the Supreme Court holding the future of his Affordable Care Act in their hands, academia is once again paralyzed and held mute by the President.  Have the faculties of the universities become so politicized that they can not register a dissent?  What do they believe in and more importantly, what do they fear? 

I guess we are to believe that the President's opinion on executive powers evolved, just like his position on gay marriage.  And, we are also led to the conclusion that because his opinion evolved, the world has changed with the divine evolution of his thoughts.

Wanted is intelligent questioning of the non sequitar and deceptive logic presented by the President in these national and unrebutted soliloquies.  How can a person stand before a national audience and make this case:

Obama said,

“And to those members of Congress who question my authority to make our immigration system work better or question the wisdom of me acting where Congress has failed, I have one answer: Pass a bill. I want to work with both parties to pass a more permanent legislative solution. And the day I sign that bill into law, the actions I take will no longer be necessary.”

Jonah Goldberg responds:

This guy is supposed to be a lawyer. The question of his authority to do X is independent of what Congress does. The executive branch may not write laws. You could look it up. ….Obama is in effect saying, “If you don’t want me to do something you believe to be illegal or unconstitutional (and I eloquently agreed with you not long ago), all you have to do to stop me is to do exactly what I want.”.. It’s against the law for me to steal your car. If I do it anyway and then say, “Look, all you have to do to nullify my lawless action is sign over the title to me, that way it will all be nice and proper” does that really make it all better?”

Perhaps the Jonathan Gruber assessment of the “American voter” extends all the way to the Law Departments of this nation’s once great universities.  Just as the Marquette professor told his student, “If you don’t believe in gay marriage you should drop my class," perhaps if you, as a professor or a student, point out the idiocy of the President’s train of thought and his flip flop on Constitutional powers you should change your major or career.

James Longstreet