A media report has it that President Obama will, in effect, self-ratify the Paris climate accord in advance of Sunday’s opening of the Group of 20 summit in Hangzhou, Zhejiang.

More’s the pity for the rule of law. And how sad that a president can have such contempt for Congress.

The administration long has claimed that, under his “executive agreement” authority, Mr. Obama has the power to “formally deposit” this country’s “instrument of acceptance and therefore put our country as a party to the Paris Agreement.”

The South China Post reported “the ratification” could come as early as Friday. Ah, the machinations of poly-global nomenclature abusers.

While senior White House adviser Brain Deese insists the president can ratify this treaty that he insists is not a treaty — and bypass the required two-thirds Senate threshold required for such treaties — congressional Republicans say they will not honor such an end-around.

Legalities aside, the optics of such a move are as bad as any that Obama has proffered. As Myron Ebell of the Competitive Enterprise Institute told The Washington Times, “What could be more insulting to our Constitution than ‘ratifying’ (the climate deal) in the presence of the Chinese president-dictator?

“And what could be more appropriate, since, like (Chinese President Xi Jinping), Obama is unaccountable?”

And all this from a former professor of constitutional law.

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