I’m no fan of Sen. Bobby Byrd. I voted against the West Virginia Democrat the one chance I had after turning 18 and while still living in our home state.

I simply can’t bring myself to support him in word or in vote because of his pork-barreling ways. Even though the money he funnels back home helps West Virginia, and literally has created jobs for people I know, I oppose pet projects on principle because they corrupt the appropriations process and because they are bad for the country as a whole.

Byrd obviously doesn’t agree with me on that point; he has different principles. But no one can deny that he is a principled man, and he proves it time and again. The latest example (hat tip to Quin Hilyer at AmSpecBlog):

[Byrd] is criticizing President Obama’s appointment of White House “czars” to oversee federal policy, saying these executive positions amount to a power grab by the executive branch.

In a letter to Obama on Wednesday, Byrd complained about Obama’s decision to create White House offices on health reform, urban affairs policy, and energy and climate change. Byrd said such positions “can threaten the constitutional system of checks and balances. At the worst, White House staff have taken direction and control of programmatic areas that are the statutory responsibility of Senate-confirmed officials.”

While it’s rare for Byrd to criticize a president in his own party, Byrd is a stern constitutional scholar who has always stood up for the legislative branch in its role in checking the power of the White House.

For that kind of integrity, Bobby Byrd long ago won my admiration even though he will never win my vote. He was right to challenge the Bush administration on the same grounds.