Bush using a little-noticed strategy to alter the balance of power

Knight Ridder ^ | January 7, 2006 | Ron Hutcheson and James Kuhnhenn

[RWR8189]

"He issues a signing statement that says he retains all of the inherent power that will permit him to go out and torture just the way they've gone ahead and tortured before," said Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass.

Did the old drunkard just recognize that the POTUS has such inherent power?

[msnimje]

The president is trying to protect this country from enemies foreign and DOMESTIC (not just terrorists on the domestic front) and should used every tool at his disposal to do so.

[GeronL]

Its merely a document spelling out "This is how the administration interprets this legislation".

ha.. Bush was sneaky

[GeronL]

and I love that

[dc-zoo]

I thought it was more properly spelled "strategery".

[MJY1288]

The MSM and the RATS want a clear and enforcible, "Terrorists Bill of Rights" as well as turning the Office of the Presidency into something similar to a figurative branch of power, subjected to the political winds of the day. The erosion of executive powers is a dangerous thing and our founders knew this. Three equal powers defined by the Constitution, not some unelected Judge, or partisan led Congress, suffering from the shakes because of being out of power

[nopardons]

Probably...........LOL

[Smokin' Joe]

How quickly (and conveniently) they forget:

"Stroke of the pen, law of the land...kinda cool!"

[Nam Vet]

You can bet your bottom dollar that if an American city were under threat of a nuclear terrorist attack and we had one of them, I want the CIC to have the authority to string him up by the nutz to get the info we need. That's why the Constitution names one CIC and not 535 pompous blowhards.

Nam Vet

[adamsjas]

Signing statements don't have the force of law, but they can influence judicial interpretations of a statute.

Huh? !!?!?

Courts don't pay any attention to congress, what makes this fool think they will gve a hoot what the president says in a signing statement?

Years of congressional encroachment on presidential power is finally slowing due to Bush's bold stand, but these statements mean nothing.

[Clemenza]

In the Spanish Empire, this was known as "Obedezco pero no cumplo" (I obey but do not comply).

[Miss Marple]

Actually, at least in the torture case, it is a very shrewd move. Issuing this statement interprets the law in the way clsest to what he wants, and in order to prove his interpretation wrong, the ledtists will have to bring a test case, which means they will have to find a tortured terrorist, get his name, get legal representation, and file a case in the USA. This isn't a particularly easy thing to do.

[RVN Airplane Driver]

Just think of all the things that President Bush could do if he weren't so dumb!! //sarc

[Miss Marple]

Sorry for the typos. I am on my first cup of coffee.

[gondramB]

"Signing statements don't have the force of law, but they can influence judicial interpretations of a statute. They also send a powerful signal to executive branch agencies on how the White House wants them to implement new federal laws."



The president has the right to do that - he can issue any darn statement he wants.

That doesn't change the law - a President would not get to break the law -for example Clinton could not have issed a statement about he interpretted the perjury stateute so that it became OK for him to lie under oath.

[devolve]

[R. Scott]

President Bush is maintaining a Presidential Tradition, going back as far as President Lincoln, even to President Andrew Jackson.

[R. Scott]

[patj]

You can boil this article down to a much shorter version: Bush has once again outsmarted us and we are going to continue to whine about it. Also, we in the Senate are the real power, how dare Bush think he is in charge.