Getting away with undermining the rule of law

Mona Charen writes,

Bankruptcy law was ignored in the auto bailout. Secured creditors were undermined in favor of unions purely on the president's say-so. After the Gulf oil spill, the administration, without any authority, summarily ordered BP to set aside $20 billion for restitution. In the pre-Obama world, this would have been the province of the courts. Obama behaved like a dictator, and few protested. He then issued a moratorium on all drilling in the Gulf of Mexico -- again, without authority. The president demonstrated the same contempt for law and procedure when he made flagrantly unlawful recess appointments.

Regarding Obamacare, the administration has issued 1,231 waivers to unions, businesses, trade associations and others. In a display of government by decree, the administration has delayed or altered the law no fewer than 14 times (as of this writing).

This isn't just a problem with Obamacare. It's a dangerous new level of government by decree. Adhering to the rule of law isn't just a tradition -- it is the essence of American liberty and success. Nations without it (look at Egypt, Venezuela or Russia) have difficulty achieving stability and prosperity even though they are blessed with natural resources and other advantages.

Obamacare has thrown one-sixth of the economy into chaos -- with results that are still incalculable. It's even more dangerous that Obama has undermined the rule of law and gotten away with it.