Not everyone in Obama's party is going merrily along with the new President's power surge. Sen. Robert Byrd (D-W.V.), the longest-serving senator in U.S. history, is openly criticizing Obama's growing circle of policy "czars." Senator Byrd has taken his leader to task for trying to bypass the system and empower a group of unelected and unaccountable advisors. In a letter he wrote to President Obama, excerpts of which were reprinted on Politico.com, he accuses the administration of an executive branch "power grab." This hierarchy "can threaten the Constitutional system of checks and balances," Byrd wrote.
"At the worst, White House staff have taken direction and control of programmatic areas that are the statutory responsibility of Senate-confirmed officials... As presidential assistants and advisers, these White House staffers are not accountable for their actions to the Congress, to cabinet officials, and to virtually anyone but the president," he argued. "They rarely testify before congressional committees, and often shield the information and decision-making process behind the assertion of executive privilege. In too many instances, White House staff have been allowed to inhibit openness and transparency, and reduce accountability."
Source: FRC
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