Byrd: Obama in power grab

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0209/19303.html

Didn't think I'd ever agree with Byrd. The fact that he resists the executive branch consolidating power, regardless of what party the president is, gives him some credibility, IMO. Now if he will also support limiting the power of the legislative and judicial branches too. ;)

In a letter to Obama on Wednesday, Byrd complained about Obama’s decision to create White House offices on health reform, urban affairs policy, and energy and climate change. Byrd said such positions “can threaten the Constitutional system of checks and balances. 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,” Byrd wrote. “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.”