Wednesday, February 28, 2007

Before I Forget My Questions

I know this article came out an eon ago in bloggy years, but there's an important nugget in here that I wanted to highlight (if only so I can find it as the 2008 campaign slogs on for another twenty-one months).

I don't really give a damn if Hillary Clinton apologizes for her Iraq war vote. Don't get me wrong -- I hope she regrets what I perceive as a craven and (yes) calculating vote for the resolution. I just don't think she's ever going to apologize and that even if she did, said apology would never be to anyone's satisfaction, including mine.

Now that that's out of the way, I want to point the place where one of Hillary's advisors discusses why she won't apologize for the vote:
Her approach to leadership and national security was forged during her eight years in the White House: She believes in executive authority and Congressional deference, her advisers say, and is careful about suggesting that Congress can overrule a commander in chief. [emphasis mine]

I have questions:
  1. Isn't Congressional deference -- specifically her Congressional deference -- partly what got us to where we are today?
  2. Does she plan to defer to the current executive if he gins up a war with Iran?
  3. Does her view of executive authority and Congressional deference comport with that of, say, John Yoo?
  4. Finally, would her views about Congressional deference remain constant if she were to lose the nomination and resign herself to a career in the Senate?

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