Political Quotes

“Well, here we go again. I have come to the floor several times already to warn of what appears to be a loss of integrity and legal scholarship at the once proud Office of Legal Counsel at the Department of Justice. First, back in December, I pointed out the, shall we say, ``eccentric'' theories that arose out of the OLC's analysis that greenlighted President Bush's program for warrantless wiretapping of Americans. Those opinions had been secret. These theories came to light after I plowed through a fat stack of classified opinions held in secret over at the White House and pressed to have the particular statements declassified. My colleagues may recall that these theories included the following: An executive order cannot limit a President. There is no constitutional requirement for a President to issue a new executive order whenever he wishes to depart from the terms of a previous executive order. Rather than violate an executive order, the President has instead modified or waived it. As the Presiding Officer well knows, Executive orders have the force of law.”