[Paul Lake]

This little quatrain will likely be further corroborated within the next couple of months.

http://www.weeklystandard.com/articl...am_802186.html

[Chris O'Carroll]

Oh, Paul. On the one hand, congratulations to Alex for his work in Light. On the other hand, his father can do better (has frequently done better) than this bit of historical ignorance in doggerel form.

". . . will likely be further corroborated . . ."? This may be difficult to grasp, but bloviation within the right-wing echo chamber does not equal corroboration in the real world. If this sad little effort is the Weekly Standard's idea of "manifest excellence," their no-poetry rule is obviously a good idea. Pretty much their only one.

[Roger Slater]

Paul, nice rhyming, and I do commend you for not including a dig about Benghazi, which must have involved a great deal of self-restraint, but the content of your little rhyme is just plain silly nonsense, and I think you know it. Obama has issued fewer executive orders than his predecessors, including Ronald Reagan and both Bushes, and the latter Bush was famous for his countless "signing statements" in which he declared in advance, while signing bills, that he did not consider himself to be bound by this or that provision of the bill he was signing. Where are your clever ditties deriding Bush's overreaching? Republicans have actually criticized Obama for not issuing more executive orders to deal with the border crisis, which the Republican Congress has proven itself completely unwilling to address, proving once again that the Republican position on any issue is defined entirely by waiting to find out Obama's position and then opposing it. It's utterly shameful. But at least now it rhymes.

[RCL]

Uh, Paul YAWN

perfectly silly

[Paul Lake]

There's nothing silly about the epigram. Here is Jonathan Turley, a left-leaning Democrat and constitutional scholar on the subject of Obama's "imperial presidency" (like that of the the Bourbons, as I suggested in my poem):


JONATHAN TURLEY: Well, unfortunately our system is changing, and it's changing without a debate. Or even a discussion about what we're going to do in the future when we have a three branch system, a tripartite system but one branch is so dominant. What's emerging is an imperial presidency, an uber presidency as I've called it, where the president can act unilaterally. This is only the latest example of that. 

What's troubling is that we have a system that has been stable precisely because these are limited and shared powers. This president has indicated that he's just not willing to comply with some of those aspects. He told Congress he would go it alone and in our system you're not allowed to go it alone.

*
And here is a poll that shows that the majority of American citizens reject Obama's idea of ignoring the immigration laws and creating various forms of amnesty by fiat instead of by passing a law.


http://www.weeklystandard.com/blogs/...on_803452.html

There are realities beyond the comfy confines of the New York Times.

Another instant that illuminates the "uber presidency" of Obama is when he signed the law for Obama Care with specific dates written into the law as to when various aspects of the ACA would take place and then changed the dates and some of the law's substance (for political purposes, mostly) with a wave of his majestic hand. It was Obama who said he would rule by pen and phone. The truth of Turley's insight may be galling, but there it is.

[R. Nemo Hill]

You're barking up the wrong tree here, Paul.
The poem is facile, the politics even more so.

Nemo

[Quincy Lehr]

Facile and silly. If one were to focus on the out-of-control security apparatus, broken promises re: closing Guantanamo, the drone strikes, or numerous real instances of Obama's disdain for the rule of law, it might be different.

[Michael Cantor]

I figured that if I waited a while, Roger and Nemo would say whatever had to be said. and I figured correctly. But I did want to add that you're citing a poll taken by "veteran Republican pollster Kellyanne Conway" - who, if you check her out, might not be the most non-partisan or competent poller in the history of politics. Didn't you guys - even President Romney - learn your lessons about polling in 2012? Guess not.

[ross hamilton hill]

Both Spain and Luxemborg still have Bourbon kings.

[ross hamilton hill]

Both the present King of Spain and the present King of the Belgiums are Bourbon kings, neither 'govern'.