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I listened to the man speak in a barn in Iowa on a cold October evening. He made several statements that night that I have heard over and over from him since then, and which he is acting on. First, he told us that he believed in the rule of law and restoring the Constitution. He told us that he was against torture. He told us that Washington needed to be cleaned up and the old way of conducting business needed to be done away with. He told us that he would HELP US get our nation back. He also told us that we had a responsibility in reclaiming our government and that he alone could not resolve all problems. He told us that he needed us to stand up and support constructive change--in fact, to demand change.
I have no problem with the way the President has undertaken governance. We, as a people, have become too accustomed to the * administration's "unitary executive," and in the clamor for change have not acknowledged that restoring the nation means that we restore separation of powers--checks and balances. While the instant gratification of a forceful command from the sitting President has not always been forthcoming, he has done something more important in removing the stumbling blocks of executive orders and by staffing his cabinet with people who can work independently. More importantly, he will honor the role of the citizen and allow change to come from the bottom up.
I see it happening. It is not instantaneous or in a magic poof, which I believe some expect. Rather, this change we wanted is a wave, and we can choose to catch it or get pounded in the surf.
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