A President's Duty
11 October 2007
Editor, The Wall Street Journal
200 Liberty Street
New York, NY 10281
To the Editor:
You assert that "a President's first duty is to do whatever it takes to protect the United States" ("Send in the Attorneys," October 11). Not true. A President's first duty is to uphold the Constitution. If that official's first duty were as you describe it, there would be no point in referencing the Constitution in the oath in which the President swears "to preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States." He would swear simply "to protect the United States."
Sincerely,
Donald J. Boudreaux
Chairman, Department of Economics
George Mason University
Editor, The Wall Street Journal
200 Liberty Street
New York, NY 10281
To the Editor:
You assert that "a President's first duty is to do whatever it takes to protect the United States" ("Send in the Attorneys," October 11). Not true. A President's first duty is to uphold the Constitution. If that official's first duty were as you describe it, there would be no point in referencing the Constitution in the oath in which the President swears "to preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States." He would swear simply "to protect the United States."
Sincerely,
Donald J. Boudreaux
Chairman, Department of Economics
George Mason University
Posted by Don Boudreaux on
Friday April 11, 2008 at 10:19am