It should be noted, of course, that there are voices on the Left expressing apprehension about the legality and aims of the mission. The problem is that most often these are the same voices – from The New York Times editorial board to Joan Walsh – that have been justifying every unilateral executive action this administration takes or threatens to take. Their sudden reverence for process and constitutionality is about as credible as John Boehner’s lawsuit to stop executive abuse.
And that’s because the John Boehner who supports air strikes, with the “understanding that this is just one step in what must be a larger effort to destroy and defeat this terrorist organization,” is the same John Boehner who brought a Republican suit against Obama for exceeding his constitutional authority by making unilateral changes to Obamacare. Whereas Boehner’s lawsuit once seemed like a somewhat worthy political stunt that might help highlight some of the lawlessness of the administration, now it seems completely hollow and pointless.
Obama must feel more emboldened than ever in following through on his happy authoritarian talk. If war isn’t worth a vote, what is? This week, the Treasury Department went ahead and offered new “guidance” on inversions, putting American companies on notice. Any deals corporations enter into after this week will be subject to a bunch of new tax rules in the future. “For some companies considering deals, Today’s actions may mean that those transactions no longer make economic sense,” lectured Treasury Secretary Jack Lew (a guy who received a $940,000 bonus from Citigroup in early 2009 as the bank was getting $45 billion in bailout funds from taxpayers.)
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