Co-Chair of the Obama-Biden Transition Team, Valerie Jarrett said, “Obama is prepared to take power and rule on day one.”
Did you hear that? It could have been a slip of the lip. It could have been confusion on the part of the speaker. It could have been, but probably wasn’t. Let’s suppose it wasn’t. What’s wrong with the statement?
Who is America’s ruler?
Is “President” just a another word Americas say to mean king, emperor or dictator?
No, of course not. We know who the supreme law of the land is, don’t we? Come on, who says “the President” has any power at all? No! It’s not the military. It’s not the police. It’s not the courts. You know who’s supreme.
It’s the Constitution. The Constitution is the supreme law of the land. It defines the limited power of all offices of the United States. For instance, Article II covers everything about the office of the President. Did you know that before a person can be the President, he has to take an oath to the Constitution?
“Before he enters on the Execution of his Office, he shall take the following Oath or Affirmation:–”I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my Ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.“
While the Constitution explains the limits of the President’s powers, even a casual observer of the oath should be able to understand that the President is required to obey the Constitution. The Constitution rules the President.
Article VI explains how powerful the Constitution is:
“This Constitution, and the Laws of the United States which shall be made in Pursuance thereof; and all Treaties made, or which shall be made, under the Authority of the United States, shall be the supreme Law of the Land; and the Judges in every State shall be bound thereby, any Thing in the Constitution or Laws of any State to the Contrary notwithstanding.”
So who’s your ruler?
If you said, “The Constitution,” you can give yourself full credit. But if you quoted the first three words of the Constitution you get an extra 10 points. It is there that you find the author and true sovereign of America.
“We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.”
A win is a win. Elections have results, as they should. But don’t let anyone tell you that you have a new ruler.
I will pray for the new President as I have for the previous ones, maybe more. But the President has never been our ruler. He’s not our king, emperor, or dictator. He’s not above the law. His limited authority is granted to him for a limited time by the Constitution. He works for us.
It just makes sense.