Charlie Savage to NYT

Take it easy on Tomase

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8 Comments

• Richard Pachter said:

  Why assume that McCain isn't a likely proponent of the crackpot "Unitary Executive" theory? The overwhelming evidence, in fact, is that he is. See this piece. for more info.
  May 8, 2008 8:08 PM

• Adam said:

  Richard, it looks to me like McCain's speech was more a standard-issue rant against "activist judges" than it was an endorsement of unlimited presidential power. Parsing McCain's remarks, Greenwald says he lamented the judiciary "show[ing] little regard for the authority of the president." But the full quote laments the judiciary "show[ing] little regard for the authority of the president, the Congress, and the states." The anti-judge shtick should remind us that McCain's a conservative. But the speech in question doesn't make me think he'd assert the president's right to ignore congressionally established constraints on his/her power.
  May 8, 2008 8:41 PM

• Richard Pachter said:

  That may indeed be the case, Adam, but pardon me for not being clearer. My main point is that I wouldn't make any assumptions. Prior to becoming president, the current White House occupant was considered relatively moderate and was said to prefer bipartisan consensus-building... and we know how that worked out.
  May 8, 2008 10:44 PM

• Adam said:

  Point taken, Richard. The best reason to hope that McCain WON'T follow Bush's lead on this, I think, is that he's been a member of Congress. But you're right--"hope" is the operative word. We shouldn't assume.
  May 9, 2008 12:27 AM

• Andrew Langmead said:

  There is at least one way that McCain has stated a disagreement with the Unitary Executive theory that the current administration operates under. In Charlie Savage's own article Candidates on executive power: a full spectrum he surveyed all of the Presidential candidates at the time. McCain said "As President, I won’t have signing statements. I will either sign or veto any legislation that comes across my desk." Neither Clinton nor Obama would count them out. It sort of makes sense in a way. Someone with such a long career in Congress would have some appreciation of its power, over either the executive or judiciary branch.
  May 9, 2008 1:25 AM

• Doug Spear said:

  Adam, this is old news, the Savage deal.
  May 9, 2008 3:18 PM

• Adam said:

  Maybe internally, Doug, but it was news to me and a lot of other Globe readers. If it was previously reported, let me know and I'll add a link.
  May 9, 2008 3:29 PM

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