And wait for the howl of protest when the next Republican president say, jails illegals based on Obama's precedents of pardons? Based on what I have seen in the debate with Obama, it will be ugly.
There was a day when members, Senators too would vote their conscience or for their constituents and against their president. As you point out those days are dead. And that's what makes congress impotent. As we discussed earlier too, it is not by chance. As congress after congress has voted to protect themselves and their careers, they have systematically eroded their own power.
This is one of the reasons I hail the Tea Party. As repulsive as many of their policies are to me, they represent a return to the democracy borne in the minds of the founding fathers. Americans don't understand the first Continental Congresses....there were no "parties" in fact they foresaw and planned for one only. There were 'blocs' and allegiances and so forth. And the result was compromise. When we were in high school getting this constitution business drilled into our brains, the word "compromise" was prominent, even the single answer to many a test question.
By demonizing their opponents and the theatre and drama that goes with it, we can no longer have compromise. Since, if they are "enemies', then of course everything about them simply has to be pure evil...let's face it, in US politics the opposing team only has idiots, no talent.
In the end, you miss out on good government and get arbitrary government, administrations that lurch from one problem to another with no real plan, no vision. There simply isn't resources to deal with that, there's too much energy going into making the other guy look evil