Tuesday, February 05, 2008

A Reader to the Rescue   [Peter Robinson]

From a reader:

[I]f I were McCain and trying to mend fences, I'd promise something along the lines of an executive order on building fences — maybe even on the day I take office.  I'm not sure if that's do-able under the Constitution, or not — but, it's something I would definitely advise him to do.

That's actually an excellent idea, don't you think, John O'S?  Maybe not an executive order on building fences—I have the feeling that would require actual legislation—but a very specific promise to sign an executive order that would instantly demonstrate that the new President McCain really had learned his lesson.

This reminds me of an idea Clark Judge and I once had as we were musing about George H. W. Bush's second inauguration (which turned out to be Bill Clinton's first inauguration instead).  After delivering his inaugural address, we decided, the president could turn, mount the steps to the Capitol, enter the President's Room, seat himself at a desk, and, as cameras flashed, sign half a dozen or so executive orders, delivering on as many campaign promises within an hour of his swearing in.  The idea, of course, was to back words with action, and to do so at once.

That still strikes me as a pretty good idea, come to think of it, and I hereby offer it to the McCain campaign for free. 

02/05 11:31 PMShare