Read other letters about this article

• Monday, March 31, 2008 09:43 AM

  The President and their legal responsibilities

  Taliesan is, in some ways, correct. As far as I remember the oath of office, although the President is the Commander in Chief and does bear the responsibility for deciding when military action is necessary and requesting permission from Congress, the actual Oath says that the President will "preserve, protect and defend the Constitution".

  That is, in some ways, a legal position. Is the President the final legal authority? Not at all. Certainly, the President gets legal advice from his legal team and from the Justice department and, in the end, even laws that the President doesn't veto (or put signing statements on) can wind up being declared Unconstitutional by the SCOTUS. However, technically, if someone is swearing to preserve, protect and defend the constitution, you'd hope they have some understanding of what that document is. It is a great shame that the current occupant has not only not protected it, he has done quite a bit to undermine it, and the Congress has been complicit in this.

  However, I can't see why someone who grew up working class, really working class can't have become a lawyer. But, maybe we've just become too completely separated by our understandings of class and we don't believe that anyone's capable of it - or, were they just not really working class to begin with if they become a lawyer?

  —SueNJ97 Read SueNJ97's other letters
  Permalink
  Flag
  Click "Submit Flag" if you feel this post is inappropriate. Explain why below if you wish.

  Cancel