Over the first few days of the Obama administration, we have seen the new president sign multiple executive orders on issues ranging from abortion to Guantanamo Bay to the environment. What can a president achieve through executive orders and what can’t they do? Also, can Karl Rove avoid a Congressional subpoena by claiming executive privilege or does that option vanish now that George W. Bush is out of office? We ask Doug Kmiec, professor of Constitutional Law at Pepperdine University.
