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SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 2009
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NEWS ABOUT: executive power

executive power stories: 14 news summaries
OPINION

Bush Redux? Runaway Exec Power Traps Obama, Too

Every modern president succumbs to the National Security State, writes Wills

Sep 28, 09 7:34 AM CDT
(Newser) - George W. Bush expanded executive power to an extreme degree, but he wasn't an exception, writes historian Garry Wills. Since World War II, the presidency has accrued massive, unintended authority—controlling nuclear weapons, intelligence agencies, and a worldwide military network under "the cult of the commander in chief."... More »

MORE ABOUT:
national security • Barack Obama • military • presidency • president • executive power • George W. Bush • Obama administration

OPINION

Obama's
Kitchen Has
Too Many Chefs

President's 32 czars
an 'end-run' around Congress: Cantor

Jul 30, 09 11:42 AM CDT
(Newser) - President Obama has broken his promise to restore the power of Congress “by appointing a virtual army of ‘czars,’” Republican Eric Cantor writes in the Washington Post. The administration now has at least 32 czars—more than Russia ever did—with each spearheading major policy... More »

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Barack Obama • executive power • energy czar • Obama administration • Eric Cantor • President Obama • car czar • cyber czar • drug czar

Top Court Candidates Differ Widely
on Exec Power

New justice will be key to defining prez limits

May 25, 09 4:53 AM CDT
(Newser) - Most Supreme Court watchers say that Barack Obama's choice to succeed David Souter will change little, since the retiring justice was a reliable member of the court's liberal bloc. But on critical questions of presidential power, which Souter regularly sought to check, the new justice's vote could be crucial. Obama's... More »

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Barack Obama • president • executive power • US Supreme Court • Executive Branch • separation of powers • David Souter • Elena Kagan • Diane Wood

Analysis

Obama Could Be Most Powerful President Ever

44 enjoys rare mix of crisis, popularity, and an office at its peak

Jan 20, 09 8:42 AM CST
(Newser) - Barack Obama enters office today with a realistic shot of becoming one of the most powerful presidents in history, writes Barton Gellman in the Washington Post. Historians and officials in the outgoing and incoming administrations agree the presidency is already at or near an apex of power, and Obama’s... More »

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Bush administration • Barack Obama • executive power • Executive Branch • George W. Bush • Obama administration • financial crisis • President Obama

 23% Dub 
 Cheney 
 'Worst 
 VP Ever' 

But Cheney still has support in GOP

Dec 23, 08 2:31 AM CST
(Newser) - Dick Cheney is arguably the most powerful vice president in history, but one American in four say he's also the worst in history, according to a CNN/Opinion Research Corp survey. Of those polled, 23% rate Cheney's job performance as the worst ever, with another 41% rating him poor. That still... More »

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Dick Cheney • poll • Bush legacy • vice president • executive power • Opinion Research Corp

Sarkozy 's Reform Bill Passes By a Hair

Move to rewrite French constitution has critics crying 'monocracy!'

Jul 22, 08 9:25 AM CDT
(Newser) - French President Nicolas Sarkozy hailed the passing yesterday of a constitutional reform, fulfilling a key campaign pledge. The overhaul of parliamentary and executive powers passed in the assembly and senate by a single vote, capturing 539 votes when it needed 538, the BBC reports. The opposition says the change will... More »

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Nicolas Sarkozy • France • constitution • political reform • executive power

White House Ignored EPA Pollutants Email

Bush & Co. refused to open report mandated by Supreme Court

Jun 25, 08 9:34 AM CDT
(Newser) - The White House didn’t like the findings in a Supreme Court-mandated report on pollutants from the EPA—so it simply refused to open the email, the New York Times reports. Instead, the administration has successfully pressured the agency into releasing a watered-down, recommendation-free report. Among the omitted sections: analysis... More »

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Bush administration • environment • fuel efficiency • Environmental Protection Agency • auto industry • executive power • US Supreme Court • George W. Bush • EPA

Gates Departure Should Calm
the Waters

Joint leadership with Ballmer slowed, hurt Microsoft's growth

Jun 5, 08 4:24 PM CDT
(Newser) - Bill Gates’ departure from full-time employment at Microsoft on June 27 will end 8 contentious years in which Gates has attempted to stay onboard while nominally beneath his close friend and new CEO, Steve Ballmer. Though they built the company together, this “ambassadorial succession” produced mixed results, with Gates... More »

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technology • Google • Microsoft • Bill Gates • software • leadership • power sharing • Steve Ballmer • executive power • corporate leadership

OPINION

What the Candidates Should Be Talking About

LA Times editors take a break from nonsense and turn to issues

Apr 28, 08 8:23 PM CDT
(Newser) - Quick, before the public completely loses interest: Let’s leave aside “guns, bitterness, race, religion, geriatric radicals and other trivia,” and turn to real presidential political issues, Los Angeles Times editors write. They pose some questions that most need answering:
  • For John McCain: You voted against giving
... More »

MORE ABOUT:
Barack Obama • Hillary Clinton • John McCain • ethanol • workplace discrimination • enemy combatants • executive power • troop drawdown

Bush Threw Out 4th Amendment After 9/11

Newly revealed Yoo memo voided search and seizure protections

Apr 4, 08 1:23 PM CDT
(Newser) - Just a month after Sept. 11, 2001, the Justice Department concluded that anti-terror military operations on US soil were not constrained by the Fourth Amendment protections against search and seizure. The conclusion was detailed in a memo written by John Yoo, the theorist behind many of President Bush's expansions of... More »

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War on Terror • torture • Department of Justice • warrantless wiretapping • Fourth Amendment • John Yoo • executive power

Bush Stepped
In to Weaken Ozone Rules

President overruled EPA scientists on pollution guidelines

Mar 14, 08 11:22 AM CDT
(Newser) - President Bush personally intervened this week to loosen the EPA's new guidelines on pollution-causing ozone, the Washington Post reports. By law, separate ozone standards are mandated for protecting the "public health" and the "public welfare," which includes wildlife, parks, and farmland. According to EPA documents, Bush... More »

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Bush administration • environment • Environmental Protection Agency • smog • ozone • executive power • George W. Bush • clean air

Rudy Would Outdo W on
Power Grab

Record shows Hizzoner had little patience for checks and balances

Oct 30, 07 12:51 PM CDT
(Newser) - Rudy Giuliani’s record in New York shows a leadership philosophy built on overlooking rules, says Washington Monthly’s Rachel Morris. Should the GOP frontrunner end up in the Oval Office, he would seize even more executive power than his assertive predecessor, Morris predicts. More »

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Rudy Giuliani • New York City • First Amendment • interrogation techniques • executive power • George W. Bush

Lib Label
Belies Solidly
Right Views

Pundits say Rudy's too 'liberal' for GOP nom; polls show otherwise

Oct 30, 07 6:30 AM CDT
(Newser) - Pundits call Rudy too “liberal” to win the GOP nom, but his views on free speech, religion, and government secrecy say otherwise, writes David Greenberg of the Washington Post. Even Rudy's takes on guns, gays, and abortion—allegedly left—are far from it. “As any New Yorker... More »

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gay rights • Rudy Giuliani • abortion • executive power • parochial schools • George W. Bush

Cheney: A Law Unto Himself?

Veep refuses to comply with executive order signed by President Bush

Jun 24, 07 8:25 AM CDT
(Newser) - Vice President Cheney is refusing to comply with an executive order to compile classified documents used by his office. Cheney's theory is that because he has a limited role in the Senate – President he can break ties – he has immunity from executive orders. More »

MORE ABOUT:
Bush administration • Dick Cheney • Senate • privacy • executive order • executive power

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