President Bush’s frequent use of signing statements to assert that he has the power to disobey newly enacted laws is "an integral part" of his "comprehensive strategy to strengthen and expand executive power" at the expense of the legislative branch, according to a report by the non partisan Congressional Research Service.In a 27-page report written for lawmakers, the research service said the Bush administration is using signing statements as a means to slowly condition Congress into accepting the White House’s broad conception of presidential power, which includes a presidential right to ignore laws he believes are unconstitutional.
The "broad and persistent nature of the claims of executive authority forwarded by President Bush appear designed to inure Congress, as well as others, to the belief that the president in fact possesses expansive and exclusive powers upon which the other branches may not intrude," the report said…
While we’re having a field day with corrupt politics [covering up Foley] and ineptness [State of Denial], the lurking monster in all of this is the conscious and systematic undermining of our Constitution. The most blatant piece is the "Signing Statements" Bush appends onto Congressional Bills, basically asserting his power to treat Congressional actions as suggestions rather than laws – sort of like the House and Senate are advisors to the King. This may well be the worst piece of this whole nightmare. How he can get away with this is beyond me, but it is a loophole that needs to be plugged – if we survive as a free nation with the Constitution we were given…
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