The following is an excerpt from OpinionJournal.com’s “Best of the Web” written by the editor, James Taranto.
Shortest Books Ever Written
“Hugo Chavez’s Economic Miracle”–headline, Salon.com, March 6
The Tiger Woods Counterploy
With the federal budget sequester having produced a blasé public reaction, the White House is resorting to the Washington Monument ploy, the Associated Press reports:
Citing the impact of new spending cuts on staffing, the U.S. Secret Service and the National Park Service announced that public tours of the White House will be canceled beginning Saturday.
The cancellations come at the start of the spring tourist season, a popular time for White House tours.
In retaliation, reports National Review’s Andrew Stiles, Rep. Louie Gohmert of Texas has offered an amendment to the House’s continuing resolution. It reads:
None of the funds made available by a division of this Act may be used to transport the President to or from a golf course until public tours of the White House resume.
A clever idea, but we suspect Gohmert’s sanction is unconstitutional. It would raise serious separation-of-power questions for Congress to try to micromanage the physical movements of the president. Though we kind of hope it passes anyhow. The legal challenge would be a hoot.
For more “Best of the Web” click here and look for the “Best of the Web Today” link in the middle column below “Today’s Columnists.
