Obama's Demand that Congress virtually hand over its "Debt Limit" Authority as part of any "Fiscal Cliff" Deal is an autocratic attempt to usurp Congress' "Power of the Purse"

IT SHOULD BE  REJECTED IN NO UNCERTAIN TERMS  AS  UNCONSTITUTIONAL  AND  EVEN  UN-AMERICAN

Under the Obama Administration proposal, the White House and not the People's House  would have the power to raise the debt limit as needed.  Congress currently must pass legislation to hike the National Debt Limit, but under White House's  recent "proposal" lawmakers would limit themselves to being able to pass a resolution disapproving of debt limit increases enacted by presidential fiat.  However, the White House "proposal" also provides that the President  would also then have the power to veto any resolution of disapproval, resulting in a requirement that two-thirds of Congress would have to disapprove of any Presidential increase in the National Debt to block it.

Obama's "proposal" granting himself the right to increase the limit on the National Debt in this way would remove a very substantial check on absolute executive power. Given the high threshold to block an increase, Obama’s "proposal" would effectively erase Congress’s control over the size of the National Debt. The White House "proposal," accompanied by demands of $1.6 trillion in higher taxes, should be rejected out of hand. There should be no counter-proposals  to Obama the usurper.

Thanks to this attempt at dictatorial rule by the President, Republicans in Congress hold all the winning cards for the entire fiscal debate. They have to show Obama  that he needs them not the other way around.  Otherwise Obama's second term begins in a bigger hole than his first.