separation of powers

Praising an Italian court’s recent ruling that CIA agents broke the law in an extraordinary rendition case, The New York Times today highlights a growing phenomenon that hasn’t received sufficient attention: European courts appear more willing than their American counterparts to enforce the laws protecting basic human and civil rights.

As I wrote last week, the initial Paulson bailout proposal — granting Treasury Sec. Henry Paulson Jr. absolute power over $700 billion in taxpayer money, unbridled by any pesky congressional oversight or judicial review — had the effect of eviscerating the usual checks and balances that American government was designed to provide.
The new plan that’s [...]

So much for separation of powers. In a move that’s eerily reminiscent of the way the Bush Administration has sought unchecked power in conducting an unprovoked war, now it’s seeking unchecked power in spending $700 billion of taxpayer money to bail out the irresponsible financial institutions it previously refused to regulate. And it’s not [...]