Number of Signing Statements by George W. Bush

[MissWaverly]

when you look at the number of signing statements for GWB from 2001 to 2006; it lists 131 if
you count them all (but next to this number - it says estimated.) I thought that is very
funny because when the W8lifting lady and I were reading through them there was a ton and
now there's not. So I did a manual search by year with the signing statement keyword and here's
what I found. For the years 2001-2006, there were 290 signing statements by GWB, with 40
in 2006 so far. So how many signing statements there are signed by him depends on whether
you go by the (estimated) count or how many there are in the GPO database. So there's either
131 (estimated) or 290 by manual search. It pays to listen to the experts. So when Gonzales
said that Bush had fewer signing statements than Clinton was he going by the estimated
number?

[spindrifter]

1. Where did the "missing" SS's go?

Why have they put in "estimated" when the years 2001-2005 are done. It's not as though there are trillions of them for one little monkey to count. Gonzo needs to 'splain this.

[valerief]

2. Diebold must have counted them. n/t

[MissWaverly]

11. Okay, first there is the variable number (estimated)

then on some bills, Bush has issued multiple signing statements which the Bush Bots are counting
as 1 signing statements but anyone else would consider each document seperate. See quote
and link here:

By her accounting, Bush has issued such statements on 110 laws, compared with 80 from Bill Clinton, as many as 105 from Ronald Reagan and 147 from George H.W. Bush in a single term. But Bush has issued multiple statements on many of those laws for a total of 750, while it was unclear how many statements the other presidents had issued.
"Even if there has been a modest increase, let me just suggest that it be viewed in light of current events and Congress' response to those events," she said. "The significance of legislation affecting national security has increased markedly since Sept. 11."

http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2006/06/28/MNGBNJLDIR1.DTL&type=printable

[gimama]

3. Would You All be UP for this?

I've been thinkin' of asking Keith to do a COUNTDOWN of 'signing Statements'..like every night, his " This,Day 1,111 since Mr.bush declared, "mission accomplished"

Or Colbert or Jon Stewart? The funny math of these dudes makes me wanna check'em..OUT LOUD. What's 'GPO'?
What about fact check .org or .com? Gonzo was SO squirmy, I KNOW there's much more to this..

[MissWaverly]

9. GPO = Government Printing Office

Link is here

http://www.gpoaccess.gov/wcomp/

[dorkulon]

4. The real number:

Bush has famously never vetoed a bill. This is because he prefers to simply nullify laws he doesn’t like with “signing statements.” Bush has issued over 700 such statements, twice as many as all previous presidents combined.

http://buffalobeast.com/99/policestate.htm

[chill_wind]

5. See this John Dean piece just published.

He sounds *totally incensed* at all the BS secrecy, obstruction and inconsistent testimony to the Senate surrounding the number. His article looks into this in some considerable detail.



"Non-Government Witnesses Are Not Certain How Many Signing Statements Bush Has Issued; And the Executive Branch Refuses to Reveal the Number


(...)

not only did this Justice Department spokesperson not provide that information, she sought to make it as difficult as possible for the Committee to determine it accurately.

More stunningly, Boardman presented information to the Senate that appears to be false on its face. It is not clear if the misrepresentation was careless, or intentional.

This Incident Is Part of a Larger Assault on Congress as An Institution"

full text: http://writ.news.findlaw.com/dean/20060714.html


And relatedly, see page 3 of the USNEWS piece circulating in several threads:

"Meanwhile, an advocacy group called the Constitution Project, which issued a report condemning the signing statements in June, is now contemplating further action, including a lawsuit against the Justice Department, which has failed to comply with a Freedom of Information Act request the group filed on June 22, said Virginia Sloan, the group's president. The request would require the Justice Department to report on uses of signing statements since 1977."

http://www.usnews.com/usnews/news/articles/060721/21signing_3.htm

Big-time supression and stonewalling on all of this, as with the Bush/NSA warrentless eavesdropping scandel.

[MissWaverly]

15. thanks, this is a very good post

I wish the Congress was as worried about Bush trashing the constitution as they are about
flag burning.

[hootinholler]

6. WTF? The GPO can't count them?

How about the US Marshals? Think they can count?

There is ABSOFUCKINGLUTELYNOREASON to "obscure" this number from anyone!

Just when I think I've reached outrage saturation...

-Hoot

[MissWaverly]

8. Hoot, I think this has to do with spin

nothing is absolute with them, nothing, remember the scientists at NASA said that their data
was managed, if you sign X number of statements then there are X number of statements, this
should not be debated, just like what brought down the World Trade Centers, it's a fact not
a debate. How did we ever get to this point, I don't know. the Congress should subpoena
all the signing statements that he signed, give the order to Gonzo, they would figure out
how many there were then.

[chill_wind]

7. k&r nt

[Justice Is Comin]

10. The American Bar Association has unamimously

determined that he has challenged over 750 laws and they are recommending to Congress that they SUE bush.

This group has over 400,000 members.

[Sydnie]

12. I believe the number that the ABA used today was 807

That they had identified 807 signing statements while their committee was investigating.

[unhappycamper]

19. Here's a link to the ABA Task Force:

http://www.abanet.org/op/signingstatements/

[Sydnie]

20. thanks for the link! n.t

[MissWaverly]

16. they are all that stand between us and the Decider

Congress must be goaded into action against this; I am glad the ABA is taking a stand.

[annabanana]

13. Didn't the Boston Globe article say it was 750 LAWS

that were affected by his signing statements, and not necessarily the number of signing statements themselves? (At least, that's how I remember it)

[MissWaverly]

14. yes, but it is very confusing

I just looked at one signing statement that was really 2 different documents, and the Justice
Department has testified that his signing statements have multiple documents as the same
document. So how many are there really?

[Jazzgirl]

17. Interesting....the ABA press conference this morning

said they found over 800 signing statements by *shrub. I think they're probably right.

JG

[MissWaverly]

18. Yes, I would say that's true

when you go in and read them week by week, there's 3 or 4 per week, many with multiple sections
4 x 52 = 208 per year roughly (+ some have multiple sections); this makes sense, even the GPO
lists 40 statements for 2006 already and the year is only 1/2 over.