The Note

So let her be she's taking a cut to do Obama's bidding.

The Republicans in Congress are not stupid. Could you imagine telling the public your objecting the president's cabinet pick over objections to Senator Clinton taking a *pay cut*? Using a fix named for the member of Nixon's cabinet? Arguing that it is unconstitutional to appoint Senate members to the cabinet? Think tanks that don't have to be elected can be that stupid, elected officials regardless of party - not so much.

Yeah - what the heck - it is only the constitution - I guess it does not make any difference that the way to amend the constituion is spelled out in the document. It is not that I don't want Clinton to serve, I do, but then why not change the document the proper way and ammend it?

Now, see if I get this. The Republicans made this "fix" yet they object to Hillary taking a pay cut under it's provisions? Are we out of Silly yet?

So it begins, if the law doesn't suit obama, obama will change the law. This is only the beginning....

dilligaf: "So it begins, if the law doesn't suit obama, obama will change the law. "

Um, actually Congress will change the law. You know laws - the things Congress is Constitutionally empowered to make and change? Note that this is not a signing statement, nor the popular Republican administration method of just ignoring the law (FISA anyone?), nor a Constitutional amendment (changing a salary set by law to meet a Constitutional requirement is un-Constitutional... What?).

Leave it to one of the Clintons to come up against a constitutional provision in their quest for personal power. $12 bucks/day! Obama will get his way on this one.

I think that the literal interpretation by these so-called conservatives is intellectually dishonest on it''s face-

The Constitution literally says "he"
and no one could argue the Founding Fathers intended it to apply to a Woman.

So those that believe in a literal interpretation of the Constitution must interpret all of the language in that fashion- not just the little phrases that turn them on one day- they are worse that the activists judges I swear.

Now it if was a true cost of living increase it can very easily be interpreted as not an increase an the amolumnet at all- it does not say an increase in salary does it?

Of course they are just sniping for the heck of it-

Still there is something wrong with being able to vacate an elected post for a politically motivated promotion. Besides for reasons of health, legal problems, or some other mitigating reason, elected officials should serve out what the voters elected them to do. But this is (surprise!) a Clinton. Change has come!

Oh thats right the president has absolutely no impact or influence on laws. It was the congress who picked Hillary, all the time knowing they could change the law. Obama didn’t have anything to do with it.

jamescbuilder : You're 100% right. We need to stop finding ways to skirt around the constitution when it's flawed and do things the right way. It shouldn't be that hard to reword it to accomplish what it was meant to do without ending up being a silly technicality.

even if this (absurdly, i admit) goes to the supreme court, the constitution says "he". with the "strict constructionists" on the court the law does not apply to Senator Clinton as the senator is not a "he." otherwise she can take the lower salary. if judicial watch takes it to court i hope they get slammed with court costs and frivilous filings. the courts are backlogged with serious cases. give it a rest.

The precedent has been set....the law will be vacated to allow clinton to serve!

She will wreck havoc on foreign policy at State...Most in the World are already dubious at best. It is about trust, honor, and integrity---she has had a tortured relationship with all three for her whole adult life!!! Fired from her first job for honesty issues, then her years in Arkansas proved that she could not even run for Senate there!!!

Shameless...

docb---as was the law vacated so many more times by Bush and Cheney? at least Senator Clinton doesn't deserve to be in the Hague.

Right after the ghastly "selection" of 2000, and alerted to the constitutional fact that denies two cowboys from the same state to serve as Precedent and VICE, I wrote Sen. John Edwards and demanded he stop Cheney from serving as VICE. It was a valid request because the bushies had to go judge shopping in Texas and find a judge who rules cheeny was really from Wyoming. fact is Cheeny held a "homesteading tax exemption" from texas worth hundreds of thousands of dollars and was really and technically from Texass. Thus he had no right to be VEEP which I informed Sen.John Edwards of and personally tried to stop this tragedy named cheeny from despoiling this country as he has done. Sorry folks, but I tried and now you know the REST OF THE STORY....good day!!!!!

Everyone has ignored or trivially circumvented this stupidly worded part of this provision for over 100 years. And honored the meaningful part. It's certainly nobody's sense of justice that's trying to make a problem out of nothing. As a fan of peace and prosperity, I love the Clintons. The people who hate them are always so extreme, they seem like nut jobs. Slip in a bald faced lie, pepper with exclamation points and fold in a few pantloads of their own indignation and you get...the previous posting. Shameless indeed.

I understand the intent behind the amendment in the Constitution - so that members of Congress increase the salary of a position they hoped to be appointed to... however, in this case, Hillary did not, at the time the increase was implemented, think she was going to be Secretary of State -she was still trying to be President.

howwouldiknow - it's fairly complicated to amend the Constitution. They can't just decide to reword it. Both the Senate and the House must propose the amendment by 2/3 majority (or 2/3 of the state legislatures must call for the US Congress to do so). Then, 3/4 of the States' legislatures must ratify it in a reasonable time (currently set at 7 years). So it is not something that could be done quickly and definitely not in time for Clinton to take office. Therefore, the easiest solution is to decrease the Salary for the position to what it was before the raise.

So this is CHANGE??????? Bringing back an administration that was DIRECTLY responsible for the mess we are currently in....
AND NOW!!!!!! For the past 8 years, Commiecrats have been screeching that Pres. Bush violates the Consitituion..WELL WHAT SAY YOU NOW?????????????????????
2012 cannot get here soon enough.

No problem.. just issue an Executive Order Signing Agreement, like President Cheney did a couple hundred times.