Examples of the president's signing statements

[kpete]

Boston Globe
Examples of the president's signing statements
April 30, 2006

Since taking office in 2001, President Bush has issued signing statements on more than 750 new laws, declaring that he has the power to set aside the laws when they conflict with his legal interpretation of the Constitution. The federal government is instructed to follow the statements when it enforces the laws. Here are 10 examples and the dates Bush signed them:

March 9: Justice Department officials must give reports to Congress by certain dates on how the FBI is using the USA Patriot Act to search homes and secretly seize papers.

Bush's signing statement: The president can order Justice Department officials to withhold any information from Congress if he decides it could impair national security or executive branch operations.

Dec. 30, 2005: US interrogators cannot torture prisoners or otherwise subject them to cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment.

Bush's signing statement: The president, as commander in chief, can waive the torture ban if he decides that harsh interrogation techniques will assist in preventing terrorist attacks.

Dec. 30: When requested, scientific information ''prepared by government researchers and scientists shall be transmitted uncensored and without delay."

More at link:


http://www.boston.com/news/nation/washington/articles/2006/04/30/examples_of_the_presidents_signing_statements/


EDIT: COPYRIGHT. PLEASE POST ONLY 4 OR 5
PARAGRAPHS FROM THE COPYRIGHTED NEWS SOURCE
PER DU RULES.

[DELUSIONAL]

1. Why the hell do we pay for a Congress and Senate

fire the lot -- send them home to work in the fields.

Bushie is doing just fine writing all the laws as he sees fit.

<sarcasm>

[fed-up]

2. He really, really, really thinks he's GOD---Is there anything he can't do?

Dec. 30: When requested, scientific information ''prepared by government researchers and scientists shall be transmitted uncensored and without delay."

Bush's signing statement: The president can tell researchers to withhold any information from Congress if he decides its disclosure could impair foreign relations, national security, or the workings of the executive branch.


doesn't he mean if it will financially impact any of his buddies/supporters businesses then the info will not be released???


I can't believe that Congress has sat back and let this happen, what happened to government OF THE PEOPLE, FOR THE PEOPLE?????

How did that many get signed without anybody counting or making public the count?????

[eppur_se_muova]

3. He REALLY. IS. MAKING. THIS. SHIT. UP.

There's no legal basis for these statments, anywhere, anyhow.

[Stinky The Clown]

4. Lemme ask an honest question ......

.... as awful as these are .... and make no mistake, I see them as simply indefensible ..... what is the record on this sort of thing with other presidents? The fact is, I've never known this was even possible until a few months ago.

[Sydnie]

6. It really began with Reagan in earnest

because of Alito. Clinton wrote many signing statements, but they did not opt him our of the law, they were usually statements of agreement with the law or support for the law or history of why the law was drafted.

You can check out the signing statements at have been archived (not all have as you will see) here - http://www.gpoaccess.gov/wcomp/search.html Just select the time period you want, type signing statements into the box and hit search.

You will be amazed when you compare a Clinton statement to a blivet** one.

[salin]

10. The first Boston Globe gives the history and numbers

Bush 1, in four years issued double the number of those issued by Clinton in eight years, Bushjr has already doubled (or close to) the number issued by BUsh 1 in his first five years. At 750 (or more) so far, Bush has issued these extra-constitutional statements at a rate of one every three days. Alito's recommendation urged that the statements be used to clarify areas of ambiguity in laws passed by Congress - I believe that bushjr is unique in using these to completely defy the intentions of laws passed by Congress.

Note the wording on all of the examples given in this article: impair foreign relations, national security, or the workings of the executive branch... The first two items are there to give cover - as the exec is often given leeway in those areas - the last is a catchall that can be read to mean anything and everything at all.

[BeFree]

7. I would say....

... that these new positions are unconstitutional. The constitution was written to keep the people safe from an over-reaching government, and these new Blimp's positions are real over-reaching, eh?

[slay]

5. Lord Bush has spoken!

WTF?!?! I seriously believe he thinks he OWNS the country. Delusional lunatic making up his own rules as he goes. We desperately need to impeach this bastard. :mad:

[low_phreaq]

8. He has refused his Assent to Laws

He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.
--The Declaration of Independence

http://www.archives.gov/national-archives-experience/charters/declaration.html

But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.

[slay]

9. K&R - These are SHOCKING!

Unfreakin real. :mad:

[SlipperySlope]

11. K&R and a Question

Can anybody provide sample signing statements from previous presidents? I'd like to understand how over-the-top (compared with the past) that Bush is?

[originalpckelly]

14. Here are two signing statements related to FISA:

Jimmy Carter's Original:
http://www.fas.org/irp/offdocs/eo12139.htm

Bill Clinton's on Physical Searches Amendment:
http://www.fas.org/irp/offdocs/eo/eo-12949.htm

They don't claim any special abilities or anything else like that. They just say how the law shall be enforced, but none of these enforcement instructions has any meaning.

[Golden Raisin]

12. What is most shocking

is that Congress is not up in arms about this --- BOTH parties. The Congress is being emasculated and made powerless by the Executive Branch. If every law they pass can be bypassed by Bush at his whim, why even bother? Bush is spitting on checks and balances -- no surprise there --- since he spits on the Constitution all the time.

[Supersedeas]

15. i agree -- Congress has chucked oversight overboard

[Radical Activist]

13. The statements violate the constitution

how orwellian of them to describe the laws as unconstitutional.

[phusion]

16. So, how is this different from a dictatorship?

The only difference I can see is that we can vote this party out in 2006 and 2008. Oh, wait...Voting machines are compromised too!

[Greyskye]

17. Complete list of Presidential Signing statements here:

Complete list of Presidential Signing statements here: http://tinyurl.com/s3md8

There is some very scary stuff in here - I urge all DU'ers to take a look and see what they can find!

(This was a 797 character long URL - thank you TinyURL!)