In the third paragraph of his State of the Union Address, as it is found online at the White House site, the President pays homage to our recovering Senator.
Two members of the House and Senate are not with us tonight, and we pray for the recovery and speedy return of Senator Tim Johnson and Congressman Charlie Norwood. (Applause.)
This South Dakotan gratefully acknowledges the President's words.
The President's speech, as has become the custom, was so thoroughly vetted in advance that there are no surprises. I will only note something formal, which is evident in this striking picture.
Behind the President are two persons, and it is important who they are and why they are there. The State of the Union Address is a duty imposed on the President by the Constitution. I reproduce here the first clause of Article II, Section 3, from ePublius!, a site constructed by Professor Schaff and myself.
[The President] shall from time to time give to the Congress Information of the State of the Union, and recommend to their Consideration such Measures as he shall judge necessary and expedient;
Nancy Pelosi is behind the President because she is the constitutional leader of the House of Representatives. Dick Chaney is there not because he is Vice President, but because he is the Constitutional Leader (de jure, not de facto), of the Senate. Together they represent the presence of Congress, and that is a visible sign that the Constitution is in charge.
Many of Bush's critics believe that his national security policy is a threat to constitutional liberties. I believe this charge is hysterical, but it is not at all unusual. I am currently teaching a course on judicial politics, and we are covering the famous case of Marbury v. Madison. At that time both major parties, the Republicans led by Thomas Jefferson, and the Federalists, led by Alexander Hamilton, accused the other of aiming at tyranny. Both were wrong. The Constitution has proved stronger than the partisan forces that make it work. But perhaps it is not a bad idea that we should always be hyper-sensitive to any threat against our fundamental principles.
It is also a good idea to treat each other with common decency. The President's kind mention of Tim Johnson did that.
Recent Comments