by TChris

The worst isn't that President Bush has acted beyond his power, in defiance of the Constitution, Paul Starr argues. The worst is that the president believes his power is limitless, and that Congress and the Supreme Court might join in his distorted view of our constitutional framework.

But there is something more dangerous than any of these specific abuses and usurpations, and that is the theory of inherent powers that Bush invokes to justify most of these actions and the possibility of its being effectively institutionalized by a meek Congress and, worst of all, by a deferential Supreme Court. ...

The real danger today is the loaded weapon that Bush and his defenders are willing to put in the hands of all future presidents. Even members of his own party ought to be able to see that danger, and act to stop it.