In 2008, Presidential Candidate Barack Obama railed against George W. Bush for usurping Congress’ power.
Here’s what Obama said in 2008:
“I taught constitutional law for ten years. I take the Constitution very seriously. The biggest problems that were facing right now have to do with George Bush trying to bring more and more power into the executive branch and not go through Congress at all, and that’s what I intend to reverse when I’m President of the United States of America.”
As President of the Unites States, here’s what Obama said as he opened his first cabinet meeting of 2014:
“One of the things that I’ll be emphasizing in this [cabinet] meeting is the fact that we are not just going to be waiting for legislation in order to make sure that we’re providing Americans the kind of help that they need. I’ve got a pen and I’ve got a phone. I can use that pen to sign executive orders and take executive actions and administrative actions that move the ball forward.”
