As the national debt ceiling negotiations seem poised to become as unhinged from reality as the "tea party wing" of the Republican party, a lot has been said about the possibility of President Obama invoking the 14th Amendment of the Constitution to unilaterally raise the debt ceiling. Being more familiar with the civil rights implications of that law, I wasn't sure what to make of that so I did something I suspect many "tea party" types probably don't do much. I read the US Constitution.
The relevant part is Section 4, which reads:
"The validity of the public debt of the United States, authorized by law, including debts incurred for payment of pensions and bounties for services in suppressing insurrection or rebellion, shall not be questioned. But neither the United States nor any State shall assume or pay any debt or obligation incurred in aid of insurrection or rebellion against the United States, or any claim for the loss or emancipation of any slave; but all such debts, obligations and claims shall be held illegal and void."
Personally, I'm not quite sure it applies in this case, especially when Section 5 reads:
"The Congress shall have the power to enforce, by appropriate legislation, the provisions of this article."
After all, if Congress (or at least its Republican "leadership") was actually inclined to enact appropriate legislation, we probably wouldn't be in this situation.
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