Trump’s Iran Bombing Is the Latest in Presidential Absolutism by James Bovard, American Conservative June 26, 2025 Does President Trump have any legal basis for his foreign policy actions aside from his personal entitlement to absolute power? Presidents have been scorning congressional leashes on their foreign interventions since at least the Korean War. But […]
Tag Archives | Constitution
No Vaccination against Unlimited Political Power
No Vaccination against Unlimited Political Power by James Bovard, May 18, 2025 Late in the last century, theater goers were jolted when a character in the X-Files movie declared that the Federal Emergency Management Agency can allow “the White House to suspend constitutional government upon declaration of a national emergency.” If the same line was […]
Tax Day Turkey Shoot on Gardner Goldsmith’s Liberty Conspiracy Show
My old friend Gardner Goldsmith and I had fun thumping the feds on Tax Day. We bantered about where Trump is going – is he verging on “full Nixonian” on some of the crackdowns on foreign students, immigrants, and other targets? Here is Gard’s summary of the show: we “dig into the troubling Trump Admin. […]
Biden’s Sordid Legacy: Ravaged Rights and Liberties
BIDEN’S SORDID LEGACY: RAVAGED RIGHTS & LIBERTIES by James Bovard Joe Biden’s presidency ends on January 20, 2025. There will likely be a media stampede to hallow his reign and trumpet his virtues. But Biden perpetually trampled his January 20, 2021, oath to “preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.” In his […]
N.Y. Post: Musk, Vivek face target-rich environment for vile federal regs and waste
New York Post, December 3, 2024 Musk, Vivek face target-rich environment for vile federal regs and waste by James Bovard Elon Musk promises that his new Department of Government Efficiency can reveal how to cut federal spending by $2 trillion per year. Musk and his DOGE partner Vivek Ramaswamy are compiling a list of Uncle […]
Kamala’s “Freedom from Freedom” Hoax
American Conservative, November 2, 2024 Kamala’s “Freedom From Freedom” Hoax Don’t be fooled—the Harris campaign promises old-fashioned government paternalism. by James Bovard In her closing spiel at the Ellipse on Tuesday night, Vice President Kamala Harris was flanked by giant banners with the word FREEDOM. Harris returned to her Democratic National Convention theme, along with the […]
Tyranny via “Freedom from Fear”
October 25, 2024 Tyranny via “Freedom From Fear” James Bovard The Democratic Party is championing Kamala Harris as a born-again champion of freedom. Earlier this year, Democrats shifted their rhetorical focus from democracy to freedom, hoping the latter term would rev up more voters. “Freedom from fear” has become one of the top pledges of […]
