With this most recent news out of the Washington Post we can now say, without any hint of hyperbole, that President Bush thinks he’s a dictator.

Bush administration officials unveiled a bold new assertion of executive authority yesterday in the dispute over the firing of nine U.S. attorneys, saying that the Justice Department will never be allowed to pursue contempt charges initiated by Congress against White House officials once the president has invoked executive privilege.

[...]

Under federal law, a statutory contempt citation by the House or Senate must be submitted to the U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, “whose duty it shall be to bring the matter before the grand jury for its action.”

But administration officials argued yesterday that Congress has no power to force a U.S. attorney to pursue contempt charges in cases, such as the prosecutor firings, in which the president has declared that testimony or documents are protected from release by executive privilege.

What does this mean?

“Stanley Brand, who was the Democratic House counsel during the Burford case, said the administration’s legal view “turns the constitutional enforcement process on its head. They are saying they will always place a claim of presidential privilege without any judicial determination above a congressional demand for evidence — without any basis in law.” Brand said the position is essentially telling Congress: “Because we control the enforcement process, we are going to thumb our nose at you.”

Rozell, the George Mason professor and authority on executive privilege, said the administration’s stance “is almost Nixonian in its scope and breadth of interpreting its power. Congress has no recourse at all, in the president’s view. . . . It’s allowing the executive to define the scope and limits of its own powers.“

Tell me now, how is this not the mentality of a man who thinks he’s a dictator; that he’s above the law? Before you answer ask yourself one question: What would your response be if Al Gore, Hillary Clinton, or any other presidential candidate were in Bush’s place right now?

I’m not generally a fan of impeachment proceedings given the political atmosphere and the likelihood that Bush’s cronies in Congress would get him off of any charges, but if Bush pulls many more of these stunts I might have to change my mind… before he starts shopping for crowns.

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A big thanks to our friends at Real Clear Politics for adding this article to the REAL CLEAR BLOGS FRIDAY – Afternoon Edition blogger roundup -

Other blogger reactions (thanks in part to MemeOrandum): Suzanne (Two Ton Green Blog); Marie (What Would Lincoln Do?); TRex (Firedoglake); (Socratic Gadfly); Steve Soto (The Left Coaster); BoringDem (Daily Kos)

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