Townhall Columnists Brad O'Leary http://townhall.com/columnists/bradoleary/2011/04/14/another_obama_constitutional_grab_in_the_works/page/full/ Brad O'Leary Another Obama Constitutional Grab in the Works Email Brad O'Leary | Columnist's Archive President Barack Obama, the confiscator-in-chief of your constitutional rights is at it again. As we’ve come to expect, when President Obama tramples on the Constitution it’s usually under the guise of some noble cause. He embraced new rules for broadcasters designed to silence conservative talk show hosts under the guise of localism and diversity. This year, he’s pushing for so-called “common-sense” legislation that ultimately deprives citizens of their Second Amendment rights. The Obama administration is working with Senator Charles Schumer (D-NY) to pass S. 679, the “Presidential Appointment Efficiency and Streamlining Act,” which would sharply curtail the number of presidential appointees that must be confirmed by the Senate. Of course, Article II, Section 2 of the U.S. Constitution provides for the advice and consent of the Senate with respect to presidential appointments. This new bill would sharply curtail that provision, allowing the President to make high-level appointments to federal agencies without the consent of the governed. Obama and Schumer claim that the bill is designed to end the backlog of unconfirmed appointees and that it would eliminate the need for the Senate to vote on roughly 200 executive nominations. You see, the confirmation process, let alone enacting annual budgets, is too arduous a task for the Senate, so in the name of efficiency, Obama and Schumer want to do away powers enumerated in the Constitution. When our Founding Fathers gave the Senate its advice and consent role, they clearly intended for the Senate to be a mainstay against Presidents loading the government with cheerleaders, political operatives, or in Obama’s case, radical anti-First and Second Amendment Presidential supporters. Some Republican leaders in the Senate, perhaps eager for a lighter workload, have taken the bait and co-sponsored S.679. They include Lamar Alexander (TN), Scott Brown (MA), Susan Collins (ME), Jon Kyl (AZ), Dick Lugar (IN), and Mitch McConnell (KY). Unfortunately, they can’t see the forest for the trees. If they could, they’d understand that this nefarious bill would enable President Obama to fill high-level positions with more anti-gunners, so that Cass Sunstein, Eric Holder, and Janet Napolitano won’t feel so alone. Stop me if this sounds crazy, but we have a President who recently met with the anti-gun crowd in a secret meeting to discuss ways to make an end-around Congress on gun control, and now the Republican leadership is going to help President Obama by giving him a tool to further circumvent Congress? Incidentally, I filed a FOIA request with the Justice Department to get the details from this recent meeting, but given the Obama administration’s disdain for transparency, I’m not holding my breath waiting for the information. I can just see the U.N. just wanting to credit President Obama for passing their new anti-gun treaty. Tags: Budget and Government , Constitution , Senate Brad O'Leary <http://media.townhall.com/Townhall/colpics/columnistbradoleary.gif> Brad O'Leary Brad O’Leary serves as chairman of The PM Group and Publisher of The O’Leary Report. He is a bestselling author of 15 books and has produced numerous television specials and documentaries. 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