It is not that new “Meet the Press” host Chuck Todd did not try to be aggressive, but opening with a sharp question, letting the president ramble and moving on to the next question is not going to pin the president down. The reason Tim Russert was so good was that he dove into particulars and then went back and back, challenging and debunking. He would not have let the president falsely say he was not referring to the Islamic State when he called them the “jayvee.” team. That excuse has already gotten four Pinocchios from my colleague Glenn Kessler. Todd was clearly an improvement over his predecessor, but he was, to be blunt, not all that effective.

Such is the state of left-leaning politicians and the MSM. The former feel they need not be constrained by facts or laws, and the latter are not sharp enough to pin them down. But on immigration, the president certainly has gone too far, and perhaps he has underestimated both the anger among Hispanic activists and those genuinely upset by a breakdown in constitutional order.

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Former Bush administration lawyer and staunch defender of executive power John Yoo told me, “President Obama’s delay of his immigration order shows that even his own administration realizes its constitutional transgressions. If President Obama were confident that he was on firm legal grounds, he should have no difficulty in bringing the issue before the American people before the elections. In fact, he ought to campaign on the issue before the election so as to seek a mandate from the electorate.” Most Americans, I strongly suspect, will agree with that uncontroversial statement of democratic governance. “There is plenty of time for the president and Congress to deliberate together — there is no emergency of time that threatens public safety. President Obama even has the November 2014 elections as a vehicle to seek popular support should he be acting beyond his constitutional authority, said Yoo. “Once again. . . . he has failed to understand the nature of his office and duties.”

For now Republicans and especially GOP Senate candidates are licking their chops. Not only are Democratic incumbents burdened by their support for Obamacare, the stimulus and the rest of his agenda, but also they now get tagged as supporting a lawless president. Brad Dayspring, communications director of the National Republican Senatorial Committee asserted: “By conspiring to subvert the legal process with executive amnesty for millions, President Obama and Democrats in the Senate just gave voters every reason to vote against them this fall. The president and Senate Democrats are playing a cynical game, hoping that Americans paying attention now won’t be after the election and it will backfire.” That sure seems like a distinct possibility. “Threats of unpopular executive fiats 60 days out from an election were already toxic for Democratic Senators – the promise that they’ll occur after Election Day only will serve to anger their constituents more and elect a new Senate who will stand up to the President,” Dayspring claimed.