Prince's of Europe, take heart!

Do you think The Prince is available in paper back? I hope so. The idea of taking a highlighter to a hard cover book just seems wrong to me, on a gut level.

First - my point wasn't that he opposed Mubarak prior to stepping down (and neither did I say so, not quite sure why you assumed such). My point, rather, is that he held press conferences and released statements on Egypt from the onset. It took him 13 days to comment on Libya, and he still hasn't made any comments such as he did about Mubarak (prior to his stepping down). For instance: "President Mubarak must understand, and I think he does understand, that Egypt can not go back to the way it was." He also had more then one telephone conversation with Mubarak himself, prior to his step down. I just don't see that level of involvement regarding Libya (& certainly not Iran, even with his campaign promise to "talk to these tiny countries") given TODAY was his first press conference on the Libyan issue.

Now back to my Niccolo Machiavelli post ...

Is this the "fundamental change" we were promised? I sincerely think he is now treading on impeachable actions.

The Attorney General of the United States released a statement today that has set the political talking head class on fire. You can find the entire release HERE, at the Justice website. But here's the beef:

"After careful consideration, including a review of my recommendation, the President has concluded that given a number of factors, including a documented history of discrimination, classifications based on sexual orientation should be subject to a more heightened standard of scrutiny. The President has also concluded that Section 3 of DOMA, as applied to legally married same-sex couples, fails to meet that standard and is therefore unconstitutional. Given that conclusion, the President has instructed the Department not to defend the statute in such cases. I fully concur with the President’s determination.

Consequently, the Department will not defend the constitutionality of Section 3 of DOMA as applied to same-sex married couples in the two cases filed in the Second Circuit."

A duly passed, signed into law (by William Jefferson Clinton no less) federal statute, and the PoTUS has decided not to enforce it because he doesn't like it. Does anyone get the profound impact this has? Forget "DOMA" (Defense of Marriage Act) for a second. The president has struck at the very heart of 3 separate coequal branches of government. He has usurped the courts in declaring the law unconstitutional - not in theory, not in word, but ENFORCEMENT. And he has put congress on notice that they can pass any bill into law (with a past president or via veto override), and it doesn't matter, HE, and HE alone will decide what's law. What is he, Judge Dread? This is beyond comprehension.

And what particularly worries me is that he could have done this covertly. Not conspiracy laden, secret agents covertly, just a plain nod and a winlk, "hey, lets not throw too many resources at defending DOMA" sorta thing. Instead he went LOOKING for a fight.

Why?

Distract from budget issues? I doubt it. For why pick an issue that 70+ % of the American public oppose you on?

Personally I see this as a set up for Obamacare. In the event it's ruled unconstitutional WITH an accompanying injunction to cease and desist its' implementation (which has yet to occur), I think he wants the precedent of simply acting on his own authority to move forward. Again, it can't be simple wedge politics, the numbers of gay voters/support doesn't bare that out. Nor could it be distraction politics, the budget problem is simply TOO big to be pushed aside by this (even the Mid East on fire with revolution hasn't pushed that issue off the front page).

I'm telling you, everything in my gut screams "Principe" ... this guy doesn't see the Constitution an essential document, but rather a document to be overcome. He's delivering as promised - the attempt to fundamentally change that which he fundamentally opposes (as constituted) - America.