The American Spectator

For all of the truths in Mr. Reiland’s essay, the problem is NOT Obama’s “naiveté!” It’s his unalloyed arrogance.

The President does not recognize that a relatively small majority of Americans did not elect him as king, as dictator, as tyrant, or as führer.

He does not recognize that he was elected as president to “preside” over the executive branch of the government and to “execute” our laws under the Constitution.

Read Article II of the Constitution and see whether he has any element of power that even the most vivid imagination can create that would allow him to do the things he’s doing.

His mind-numbing diplomatic errors cannot be naiveté because there are long-serving professionals in the State Department who surely were available to advise him of the error of his “personal” approaches to the President of Russia and the people of Iran. Heaven only knows what else he’s been doing in his “transparent” administration!

The latest outrage is his requiring the chairman of a corporation to resign. Where is that authority in the Constitution?

Only in the Land of Ob.

Where’s that tornado when we need it?
— A.C. Santore

DETAILS DETAILS DETAILS
Re: Hans A. von Spakovsky’s The Tragedy of Supremely Bad Law:

Mr. von Spakovsky gets some of the details regarding the Wyeth Phenergan case incorrect. The actual facts  suggest the case was even more wrongheaded than he describes. Specifically in the case a physician’s assistant injected the drug Phenergan into a vein (blood vessel which returns blood toward the heart — not an artery) this is an approved drug being given via an FDA approved route of administration for an FDA approved indication (nausea). At times however IVs can become defective and the drug can “infiltrate,” that is, leak into the subcutaneous tissues. This causes pain, tissue damage and potentially can cause clotting/ damage to an artery (blood vessels taking blood away from the heart). This ultimately led to loss of the patient’s arm. The plaintiff claimed Wyeth of all people acted negligently by accepting the FDA’s ruling that the drug could be given IV. Needless to say this is madness. This drug is given safely via this route probably thousands of times daily across the US. The injury to the patient is clearly related to failure to appreciate the IV had infiltrated, failure to avoid giving a large dose of drug via this route, etc. None of this Wyeth had any control over. The result of this case is we will have FDA regulation that will fail to protect any drug maker from being sued. If I worked for a drug company I would seek another line of work — this legal environment makes any kind of drug development madness. At one time I participated as a clinical investigator for clinical drug trials doing FDA-approved drug studies. I foolishly though strict compliance with FDA rules would exempt one from legal actions. This is obviously no longer the case. I will no longer plan on participating in such trials. I imagine others will do the same. I expect the number of new drugs for cancer, serious infections, heart disease, etc. will slow. I hope the plaintiff’s bar will be gratified by the result.
— Michael DePietro, MD
Newark, Delaware

U.N.DO THE DAMAGE
Re: Paul Chesser’s Bustin’ a Cap & Trade:

Don’t worry, Mr. Chesser. The U.N. and their devotées in the E.U. are planning right now to take care of everything.

They’ll put an unconstitutional U.N. tax on our purchase of gasoline, require American companies to meet U.N.-imposed emissions standards, and generally direct our government and industry to do their bidding in furtherance of  their global wealth-sharing whims.

The real reason for this usurpation is not protection of the environment. Emissions are emissions and will affect the atmosphere whether they come from a smokestack in Kansas or some U.N. satrapy in the southern hemisphere.