An Imminent Threat (to the Constitution) --Froomkin--WaPo

[Demeter]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/blog/2006/07/24/BL2006072400458_pf.html


By Dan Froomkin
Special to washingtonpost.com
Monday, July 24, 2006; 2:10 PM



A blistering report out today from a blue-ribbon legal panel dramatically establishes how President Bush's use of signing statements to assert his right to ignore legislation passed by Congress undermines the rule of law and the constitutional system of separation of powers....The task force members outline a clear path to the restoration of the traditional balance of powers. But will the Republican-controlled Congress step up to the plate?


And David Cay Johnston , also in the New York Times, illustrates yet another way Bush can act unilaterally: "The federal government is moving to eliminate the jobs of nearly half of the lawyers at the Internal Revenue Service who audit tax returns of some of the wealthiest Americans, specifically those who are subject to gift and estate taxes when they transfer parts of their fortunes to their children and others. . . .Sharyn Phillips, a veteran I.R.S. estate tax lawyer in Manhattan, called the cuts a 'back-door way for the Bush administration to achieve what it cannot get from Congress, which is repeal of the estate tax.' "

Pressure From the Saudis

Michael Abramowitz and Robin Wright write in The Washington Post: "The Saudi foreign minister personally urged President Bush yesterday to intervene to stop the violence in Lebanon, the most direct sign of mounting frustration among key Arab states with what they see as a hands-off U.S. posture toward Israeli strikes against Hezbollah.

"In an Oval Office meeting yesterday afternoon, Prince Saud al-Faisal said, he delivered a letter to Bush from Saudi King Abdullah asking for U.S. help in arranging an immediate cease-fire, a stance U.S. officials have repeatedly rejected on the grounds that it is premature. U.S. officials would not comment directly on the request, saying only that the two sides discussed the humanitarian situation, reconstruction and how to end the violence.".....While there's no evidence that the visit will have any effect on U.S. policy, it is worth noting that Bush cut short his planned stay in Crawford to meet with the Saudis.

........

Al Kamen writes in The Washington Post: "A British television station says it has identified the person responsible for that open microphone catching a little unvarnished President Bush at the closing G-8 summit lunch in St. Petersburg. The culprit? Shockingly enough, they finger Russian President Vladimir Putin."