They’ll do anything to win while we play by the Marquess of Queensberry Rules.
“Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and other top Democrats are putting new pressure on the White House to circumvent Congress to boost the nation’s debt ceiling if no bipartisan agreement can be reached.” [Politico]
“They’ll do anything to win while we play by the Marquess of Queensberry Rules.”
No personal offense meant, really, but, uh, yeah.
Duh.
The Presidents of Egypt and Syria did things like this with attacks on freedom and democracy. They went into civil war. I guess that is what Reid wants.
The President’s authority to raise the debt ceiling all on his own is said to rest on the 14th Amendment to the US Constitution, and especially, section 4. From http://www.14thamendment.us/amendment/14th_amendment.html :
Section 4. The validity of the public debt of the United States, authorized by law, including debts incurred for payment of pensions and bounties for services in suppressing insurrection or rebellion, shall not be questioned. But neither the United States nor any State shall assume or pay any debt or obligation incurred in aid of insurrection or rebellion against the United States, or any claim for the loss or emancipation of any slave; but all such debts, obligations and claims shall be held illegal and void.
Okay, not much there about the power of the Prez. Then there’s the following section:
Section 5. The Congress shall have power to enforce, by appropriate legislation, the provisions of this article.
A lot less there about the Prez, and more about Congress. So they gotta have some good lawyering to claim Obama can raise the debt limit on his own.