Specter to grill officials on Bush ignoring laws (wants to reduce use of WH "signing statements")

Reuters on Yahoo ^ | 6/21/06 | Andy Sullivan

[cardinal4]

Explain to me again why the Bush admin back Spector over Toomey?

[Gordongekko909]

The President backed this punk why?

[Just mythoughts]

This from the fruitcake that relies upon Scottish law...

[Jim Robinson]

"The Bush administration will have to explain why it thinks it can ignore or overrule laws passed by Congress in a hearing next week, Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Arlen Specter said on Wednesday."

Wonder if it has anything to do with the fact that about 90% of what comes out of the congress is unconstitutional?

[razorback-bert]

Ah geez, will someone please tell him to put a sox in it.

[John Valentine]

"Our legislation doesn't amount to anything if the president can say, 'My constitutional authority supersedes the statute.' And I think we've got to lay down the gauntlet and challenge him on it," Specter said in a telephone interview.

Go ahead and challenge to your black RINO's heart's content, Arlen... You'll lose.

If Congress wants to amend the Constitution, it knows how to do it. Passing a statute isn't enough.

We don't have a congressional dictatorship in this country even if 75 Senators wish it were so.

[Jaysun]

Sphincter is an a**hole.

[Republican Wildcat]

Specter has clashed with the White House in recent months about the spying program and recently accused Vice President Dick Cheney of meddling in his committee's affairs.

Oh, please, Senator. You started meddling in their affairs first.

[plewis1250]

Isn't it the Presidents job to do this? Or did I miss something?
To think that Specter believes that whatever he says goes...

Sounds to me like he needs to read up on Constitutional law a little more...
- plewis1250

[DryFly]

Then Bush should have the cajones to veto the legislation, rather than sign it into law and simply chose not to follow it.

[Jim Robinson]

Yeah. What's up with that anyway?

[smoothsailing]

In these parts Spincter is referred to as the Senator of Philadelphia, much in the same tone as Rendell is referred to as the Governor of Philadelphia.

Spincter hasn't had a clue since that day long ago when he dreamed up the "Magic Bullet".

The man is a nut.

[sinkspur]

"Maybe we can find some pressure point on the budget or appropriations or confirmations or something of that sort," he said. "I'm thinking about all the alternatives."

Except that Specter doesn't control budget or appropriations, and can be cowed on confirmations by Orrin Hatch and John Kyl.

There are no pressure points, Arlen. And you seem to be the only one who's got his BVDs bunched up over these signing statements.

[Brad from Tennessee]

What the Bush Administration has been attempting to do since taking office is restore some of the traditional powers of the Executive Branch that were given up by Clinton to Congress in an attempt to appease them during a period of unprecedented Executive corruption in the modern era. This isn't about Bush. As others above have pointed out it is about the Constitution.

[Iscool]

Appears as tho the President has given himself the authority to use the line item veto...

As much as I disagree with Arlen on most everything, I think he's on the right track with this one...

[hotshu]

"Spincter hasn't had a clue since that day long ago when he dreamed up the "Magic Bullet"."

I think he is one of the few surving participants of the Warren Commission. Except of course for Gerald Ford, the only non-elected President of the United States.

Can anyone here spell P-A-Y-B-A-C-K?

[gcruse]

"Sign your name. Make a law. Neat."
--- President Bill Clinton on executive orders

[Islander2]

You got it Brad. This is exactly what the Admin.
has been trying to do. Too bad there are RINO's
in the senate who have no clue what grass roots
Republicans are all about.
Mahalo for your post.

[smoothsailing]

Actually, I liked Ford, but of course the same old leftist media did it's best to diminish him.

Obviously with Spincter, we have a Republican the left can adore.