Andrew Sullivan is justifiably appalled at Dick Gephart's inexplicable assertion that when he's president, "we'll do executive orders to overcome any wrong thing the Supreme Court does tomorrow or any other day." That a presidential candidate could ever suggest that executive order would overturn Supreme Court decisions is indeed shameful. Almost like a presidential candidate not knowing that Social Security was a federal program, or say, not knowing the difference between Slovakia and Slovenia¹, or perhaps thinking that the executive branch interprets law ². Some how I think GWB wins the expectations game here. Expectations are so low for GWB's mental gymnastics, all he has to do is avoid drooling on himself in public, and everyone considers it a great success. Yes, I'm embarassed that Gephardt would say such a thing, but let's have some consistency here! I've never seen Sullivan criticizing Bush for his complete failure to grasp the most basic tenets of constitutional law, the legislative process, and English grammar. Slam neither or slam them both, but you just look silly to pick and choose.

¹"The only thing I know about Slovakia is what I learned firsthand from your foreign minister, who came to Texas." [6/22/1999 - Bush was referring to his meeting with the prime minister of Slovenia. Comment made to a Slovak journalist]
²"The legislature's job is to write law. It's the executive branch's job to interpret law." [11/22/2000 - Comment made in Austin, TX]