The response to President Obama's unconstitutional appointment of Richard Cordray to head the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and three individuals to the National Labor Relations Board has been predictable and disappointing. Politico.com's Arena is a helpful account of the justifications of those on the political left for the act which seems to be little more than it's OK because the Republicans are meanies and this is really important.

Curiously, one of the most clear-eyed analyses came from Mary Frances Berry, a Clinton appointee to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights who illegally tried to extend her term in the early months of George W. Bush's term.

The recess appointments are great campaign strategy, aside from the need to fill the vacancies. The appointments may raise legal difficulties when actions the appointees take are challenged, and Democrats will be in a tizzy when the next Republican president decides to do the same thing.

Exactly. This is all about politics and the president's re-election campaign and that's the light in which those on the left have been praising the move. The Constitution, separation of powers and the Senate's role in confirming presidential appointees grow the ever-increasing conglomeration beneath Obama's bus.

The responses reminded me of an anecdote from Bernard Goldberg's latest book "A Slobbering Love Affair." In it Goldberg recounts a discussion he had with some students and their instructor at a journalism school who saw their jobs to make the world a better place. Goldberg's response was along the lines of "a better world according to your values or mine?" That was met with silence.

Similarly, Obama's unconstitutional gambit is OK because it's for the greater good. They are the ultimate utilitarians. There is no law that can't be ignored, no justification that can't be advanced, no excuse that can't be offered.

It may be good politics, but it's a horrible way to run a government.