“The president’s personal staff are independently responsible only to the president — and in the end he is the only czar that is,” said Bradley H. Patterson, a presidential scholar. “And he is accountable to the American electorate.”John Harrison, a University of Virginia law professor, compared the czars to the position of White House chief of staff, saying both hold great influence and can speak for the president, but their legal powers are limited.
Their “practical authority . . . is not legal authority, and as long as the distinction is rigorously maintained there will be no legal problem,” Harrison said in his written testimony. (Emphasis mine)
The GOP is determined not to let this silly nontroversy die. Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) says she still has questions. Once again, it’s time to trace the life-cycle of nontroversy:
1) Right-wing media figures seize on scary-sounding item.
2) Viewers, ignorant of history and given no context, contact lawmakers.
3) Progressive blogosphere debunks nontroversy.
4) Republican lawmakers denounce newly-controversial item.
5) MSM engages in credulous stenography. Nontroversy erupts.
6) Democrats debunk nontroversy.
7) MSM moves on to new nontroversy.
8) Republicans repeat the nontroversy long after it has died.
9) Nontroversy becomes Zombie Outrage™.
The “czars” phenomenon is now in stage 8; it will reappear in GOP fundraising letters and Glenn Beck’s doom bunker from time to time as an issue the MSM has “covered up.” At that point, no amount of congressional hearings or factual debunkings can stop the Zombie Outrage™ from wandering the land, infecting minds with Teh Stupid™.
See how that works?
