Non-Partisan Govt. Report Says Bush Signing Statements Are Power Grabs

[bigtree]

Thursday, October 5, 2006

Bush's use of signing statements criticized

Charlie Savage, Boston Globe

(10-05) 04:00 PDT Washington -- 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 nonpartisan 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.

Under most interpretations of the Constitution, the report said, some of the legal assertions in Bush's signing statements are dubious. For example, it said, the administration has suggested repeatedly that the president has exclusive authority over foreign affairs and has an absolute right to withhold information from Congress. Such assertions are "generally unsupported by established legal principles," the report said.

more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2006/10/05/MNGVULIE8C1.DTL&type=politics


Bush's Soft Bigotry on Terror (10-5-2006)

[Hubert Flottz]

1. Fuhrer Orders were the same things! Power Grabs...

[notadmblnd]

2. Dee da Deeee..

ala Carlos Mancia. Ya think?

[Solly Mack]

3. who'da thunk it

[bigtree]

4. nice to have the CRS come out with this report

I use these official reports all of the time to emphasize established criticisms of Bush. This is a good one . . . and timely.

[Solly Mack]

5. always handy to have a reference

[indepat]

6. The decider, in his infinite wisdom, goodness, and judgment, will decide

law and not even bother with the Constitution.

[aquart]

7. Every day another impeachable offense.

They tried to impeach Clinton for a blow job. Bush could hang Americans in the Rose Garden and this Congress would justify it.

[Solly Mack]

8. Link to full report - pdf.... in case anyone wants it

http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/natsec/RL33667.pdf#search=%22%22Presidential%20Signing%20Statements%3A%20Constitutional%20and%20Institutional%20Implications%22

[bigtree]

9. awesome. they didn't mince words

extremely critical report. Thanks for posting.

[Solly Mack]

11. I printed it out

In a world where info has a way of disappearing...hard copies. :)

[Solly Mack]

10. kick