You’re right, when responding I had just looked at the statement saying it was only the business of the states and the individual land owners not at “Obama’s denial of this permit shows – - – Why doesn’t the court hold him in contempt? ”

If I remember his explanation, Congress required him to approve the application within some number of days or show just cause why he didn’t. His response was that the number of days didn’t give him enough time to verify it was okay.

So you could look at it two ways:
He didn’t show just cause and is in violation of orders of Congress.
OR
He showed he didn’t have enough time to prove the safety and that constituted just cause. Some would argue the former case, he argued the latter.

Your main point is well made. Congress won’t stand up to him except under extreme cases and this isn’t one. They just care what is politically expedient.

As to ignoring judges’ orders, that has long standing going back to Jefferson who refused to enforce laws he considered unconstitutional because he considered that part of his duty as a check on Congress.

The president IS above the law. He can ignore any law because he can pardon any of his own actions. He only answers to two groups: Congress’ power to impeach him and the voters’ power to reject him. Even then all either group can do is remove him from office or not remove him from office.

That’s why it is a good idea to only elect presidents you trust, like Johnson, Nixon, Clinton.

David contemplating power
basically only limited by conscience
(if any)

My point was the placing of the pipelines once inside the US.

Sorry, I fat-fingered the key board causing a premature postulation.

US Constitution
Article I Section 8 – Powers of Congress

“The Congress shall have Power To- – - To regulate Commerce with foreign Nations, and among the several States, and with the Indian Tribes;”

International and interstate pipeline constitutionally makes it the business of the federal government. The president is charged with carrying out the orders of Congress, in this case deciding whether or not to allow the pipeline.

Ruling rightly or wrongly, it IS his business.

David for obeying the Constitution,
supreme law of the land

The point of this issue is free enterprise and capitalism. A private company wants to build a pipeline to move their product to the place of their choice. It matters not where the product is taken or to whom they want to sell that privately owned product to after it is made ready for market.

The placement of that pipeline is an issue for the 1) states and 2) the landowners in those states. It is the business of no one else…period.

Doesn’t matter where we get the oil, the commodities people are going to run up the price regardless of the reason… storms, mideast tension, etc… Ever wonder what they do with all that money they get from those increased prices when nothing really happens? You don’t see the prices drop very fast and never below what it was before the event that caused the rise… So, where does it go? In their pockets! Why would they ever give up a scam like that?