Executive Power Outrage

In other words: You get your reports if I feel like giving them to you.

I wonder what the bill's sponsors -- including John Chafee's son, Sen. Lincoln Chafee of Rhode Island -- make of that. Maybe someone should ask them.

For More Information

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For more on the Bush/Cheney expansion of executive power, see my May 3 column, Summer Grilling Season? ; my March 17 column, A Rebellion Around the Edges ; my December 19, 2005 column, Imbalance of Power? ; and my June 29, 2004 column, A Blow to the Executive Branch , which recounts the almost-forgotten Supreme Court ruling in which then-Justice Sandra Day O'Connor wrote "A state of war is not a blank check for the President when it comes to the rights of the Nation's citizens. . . . Whatever power the United States Constitution envisions for the Executive in its exchanges with other nations or with enemy organizations in times of conflict, it most assuredly envisions a role for all three branches when individual liberties are at stake."

Snowed Under

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Neophyte press secretary Tony Snow yesterday committed the biggest blunder of his so-far hapless tenure.

Right out of the gates -- in answer to the very first question at yesterday's briefing , Snow made the startling assertion that the proposed constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage is a civil rights issue. Then he retreated into genuine or faked ignorance -- which is worse? -- about what he himself meant by civil rights.

"Q There is some criticism that the President's remarks today are merely intended to energize conservative supporters since there is little likelihood this is going to pass in the Senate. What's your response to that?

"MR. SNOW: Well, the response is, the President -- again, and we went through this last week, this is driven in many ways by the legislative calendar. The President is making his views known. Whether it passes or not, as you know, Terry, there have been a number of cases where civil rights matters have arisen on a number of occasions and they've been brought up for repeated consideration by the United States Senate and other legislative bodies."

CBS News correspondent Bill Plante couldn't let that one go:

"Q You mentioned civil rights. Are you comparing this to various civil rights measures which have come to the Congress over the years? Is this a civil right?

"MR. SNOW: Marriage? It actually -- what we're really talking about here is an attempt to try to maintain the traditional meaning of an institution that has maintained one meaning for a period of centuries, and for --

"Q Do you equate that with civil rights?

"MR. SNOW: No, I'm just saying, I think -- well, I don't know. How do you define civil rights?