Glenn Greenwald Doesn't Go Far Enough

He notes this response by the Administration to questions put to it by Congressional committees:

"In order to execute the laws and defend the Constitution, the President must be able to interpret them. The interpretation of law, both statutory and constitutional, is therefore an indispensable and well established government function. . . .

The President's power to interpret the law is particularly important when he is engaged in a task -- such as the direction of the operations of an armed conflict -- that falls within the special and unique competence of the Executive Branch."

But the Administration is not just taking the authority of Congress to itself; it is taking the full authority of the government to itself. In other words, not only is Congress irrelevant, but so is the Supreme Court. And this is the real Constitutional crisis, because it is the Executive which executes the laws passed by Congress, and the rulings handed down the by the courts. Without the enforcement power of the Executive, the Courts are toothless, and Congress is pointless.

We have, in full effect here, if not yet in fact, a coup d'etat. The Executive has declared the other two branches of government separate and unequal. Napoleon has crowned himself Emperor.

And when the rest of the country starts paying attention, is anybody's guess.