In less remarkable times, it might be less remarkable to hear a sheriff – a GOP sheriff in an ultra-red county, no less – remark that his job is enforcing laws. Not writing laws. Not ignoring laws. Not independently deciding the constitutionality of laws. And not turning over allegiance from the country and the county they serve to the wishes of political parties and their central committees. No, Kootenai County Sheriff Ben Wolfinger had it exactly right when he told the Kootenai County Commission earlier this week: “It’s not our job to pass the laws, it’s not our job to interpret the laws. It’s just our job to enforce the laws.” Now maybe Wolfinger could go on a speaking tour of the country’s other red-state sheriffs, many of whom have gotten the idea that they are more than simply law-enforcement officers. They are kings/Shawn Vestal, SR. More here.

Question: Why do individuals, like many in the Kootenai County Republican Central Committee, who swear with a straight face that they support the Constitution, not understand the separation of powers and that federal law trumps local law?