Clinton Might Give Up Some Executive Authority

If elected president in 2008, Senator Clinton would consider giving up some of the executive powers that President Bush and Vice President Cheney have assumed since taking office, she said.

In an interview published yesterday in Guardian America, a Web site run by the London-based Guardian newspaper, Mrs. Clinton denounced the Bush administration's push to concentrate more power in the White House as a "power grab" not supported by the Constitution.

Asked if she would consider giving up some of those powers if she were president, Mrs. Clinton replied, "Oh, absolutely ... I mean, that has to be part of the review that I undertake when I get to the White House, and I intend to do that."

Since the September 11, 2001, attacks, Messrs. Bush and Cheney have taken steps to expand presidential authority and diminish the role of Congress and the federal judiciary. Among other things, they have pushed for warrantless wiretapping of terrorist suspects and the use of "signing statements" to justify ignoring or defying laws enacted by Congress.

In the interview, Mrs. Clinton noted that other presidents, including President Lincoln, had taken on new presidential powers but had gone back to Congress later to ratify their actions.

Messrs. Bush and Cheney had taken a different course, she said. "There were a lot of actions which they took that were clearly beyond any power the Congress would have granted, or that in my view was inherent in the Constitution," Mrs. Clinton said. "There were other actions they've taken which could have obtained congressional authorization but they deliberately chose not to pursue it as a matter of principle."

A Republican National Committee spokesman, Danny Diaz, doubted Mrs. Clinton would give up any power.

"The reality is that Hillary Clinton, much like Bill, will say and do anything to win political office and will conveniently forget their promises in short order," he said.