It brings to mind that old narcissistic boast: I've never been wrong except that one time when I thought I was wrong. In the current case, we have Al Hunt playing the role of President Obama's alter ego.
Hunt the Hilarious made his curious claim on today's Morning Joe after a clip was rolled of President Obama, just last year, saying that were he to grant amnesty to illegals "I would be ignoring the law in a way that I think would be very difficult to defend legally." Responded Hunt: "I don't agree with his analysis back then. I think he's on pretty solid legal ground. I sure do."
So what was the basis for Hunt's legal analysis? Well, he relied a column by Judge Richard Posner, whom he described as a "distinguished conservative jurist." Oh, wait, not exactly. It was a column by . . . the son of Judge Posner. You're killin' us, Al!
And how does Hunt's argument that a future congress or president could overturn Obama's order in anyway render legal an otherwise illegal executive order?
MIKA BRZEZINSKI: The president doubted his own legal authority just last year. [Cut to clip of Obama speaking in 2013.]
BARACK OBAMA: Young people who have basically grown up here are Americans that we should welcome. We're not going to have them operate under a cloud, under a shadow. But if we start broadening that, then essentially I would be ignoring the law in a way that I think would be very difficult to defend legally. So that's not an option and I do get a little worried that advocates of immigration reform start losing heart and immediately think, well, somehow there's an out here. If congress doesn't act, we'll just have the president sign something and that will take care of it and we won't have to worry about it.
JOE SCARBOROUGH: Al, it's quite a change. What's happened in the year from the time the president said this would be unconstitutional?
AL HUNT: He thought he'd get a bill passed in the last congress and he didn't is what happened.
SCARBOROUGH: So did the Constitution change?
HUNT: I don't agree with his analysis back then. I think he's on pretty solid legal ground.
SCARBOROUGH: Do you really?
HUNT: I sure do. Judge Richard Posner, no more distinguished conservative jurist, his son wrote a piece a couple weeks ago and he said you know what this is? This isn't a power grab. He's doing what all of his predecessors did. He's not deporting five million immigrants. This is just officially recognizes current law and, Joe, congress tomorrow can come in and overturn this.
