AMERICAN HISTORY/CIVICS 101 REVISITED

Here’s something you may find interesting. The following is a verbatim quote from the US Constitution. It is from Article II, section 2 and it deals with the Executive Branch of government. In other words, the president. “He shall have Power, by and with the Advice and Consent of the Senate, to make treaties, provided two-thirds of the Senators present concur…..”

Now let us consider what is happening in Iran. This Administration is currently   negotiating a treaty with Iran which is right and proper, but right and proper only with the advice and consent of two-thirds of the Senate. Without that advice and consent it becomes an illegal act. This could be fixed by simply involving the Senate. Forty-seven Senators sent a letter to Iran informing them that any treaty signed but not approved by two-thirds of the Senate will be invalid when Obama leaves office. The liberal news media are calling these forty-seven Senators traitors. I suggest that the news media take a moment to read the Constitution before they make such accusations. Isn’t this President supposed to have been a Professor of Constitutional Law? How could he have missed that part about the Constitution  requiring two-thirds of the Senate before any treaty could be legal?

Here’s another little tidbit from the Constitution, Article II, section one, the Presidential Oath of Office. “I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States.”

That seems pretty clear to me, no nuance, how about you? And I am not even a professor of Constitutional Law.

Some will say that the President can do anything he wants by “Executive Order.” The problem with that argument when it comes to treaties with foreign governments is they don’t always understand that once the President is out of office, his proclamations are invalid. His “Executive Orders” are then worthless. The forty-seven Senators who signed and sent the letter to Iran did them and the world a favor.

As I have said on so many occasions, we don’t elect emperors. We elect Presidents and they, like all the rest of us, have to obey the law. Failure to do so can and will result in prosecution.

We have three co-equal branches of government. They are the Executive, the Legislative, and the Judicial. They have equal power with each other. The Congress, the legislative branch, has the responsibility and the duty to rein in this president. The failure of the Congress to do their job could create a catastrophic situation in the Middle East that will doubtless be exported to our shores.

If you think Obama is going to rein himself in, history tells us he has no intention of doing that. So, how far will we let him go? He has two years left on his term so does he think he is above impeachment? Do you have any idea how much damage he could do in a two year period?

What needs to happen is for the Democrats to make a little visit to Obama and let him understand clearly that he will not be allowed to continue on the path he has chosen. After all, the Democrats will be the ones to suffer if Obama isn’t brought back to reality.

We have a rule book. We have a set of laws. We have a President who has sworn to “faithfully” uphold those laws. We also have a Congress who must make certain that he does.

Ron Scarbro