When the president wants to fulfill a constitutional duty — like nominating a Supreme Court justice — Congress is up in arms. When he launches a blatantly unconstitutional war, it shrugs.
Sometimes, just when you least expect it, symbolism steps right up and coldcocks you. So how about this headline for - in the spirit of our last president - ushering America's withdrawal from Iraq right over the nearest symbolic cliff: "U.S. empties biggest Iraq base, takes Saddam's toilet." They're talking about Victory Base, formerly - again in the spirit of thoroughly malevolent symbolism - Camp Victory, the enormous American military base that sits at the edge of Baghdad International Airport and that we were never going to leave.
