In Search Of Utopia: Above the Law

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May 28, 2006

Above the Law

Wont you just be glad when this nightmare is over...

From the Boston Globe:

WASHINGTON -- The office of Vice President Dick Cheney routinely reviews pieces of legislation before they reach the president's desk, searching for provisions that Cheney believes would infringe on presidential power, according to former White House and Justice Department officials.

The officials said Cheney's legal adviser and chief of staff, David Addington , is the Bush a dministration's leading architect of the "signing statements" the president has appended to more than 750 laws. The statements assert the president's right to ignore the laws because they conflict with his interpretation of the Constitution.

The Bush-Cheney administration has used such statements to claim for itself the option of bypassing a ban on torture, oversight provisions in the USA Patriot Act, and numerous requirements that they provide certain information to Congress, among other laws.

Previous vice presidents have had neither the authority nor the interest in reviewing legislation. But Cheney has used his power over the administration's legal team to promote an expansive theory of presidential authority. Using signing statements, the administration has challenged more laws than all previous administrations combined.
(Emphasis Mine)

Posted by David A at May 28, 2006 12:01 PM
Filed Under Politics | 195 Words

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Tracked on May 29, 2006 12:32 AM

Comments

I was all set to accuse of lifting this story from me, but then I realized I'd WRITTEN it this morning, but didn't PUBLISH it until this afternoon -- after you had posted yours. (http://wizbangblog.com/2006/05/28/for-want-of-a-bucket.php)

I still don't see the big idea. "Challenge" the laws? Not in any substantial way, just written on little notes saying what he doesn't like about them -- notes with absolutely no legal standing.

Posted by: Jay Tea at May 28, 2006 06:34 PM

Er... make that "big deal." And note that while Bush has had his fun with "signing statements," he has YET to veto a single bill -- something that I find gravely disappointing.

Posted by: Jay Tea at May 28, 2006 07:42 PM

I was all set to accuse of lifting this story from me, but then I realized I'd WRITTEN it this morning, but didn't PUBLISH it until this afternoon -- after you had posted yours.

Whoa, David and Jay have a cosmic link...

Kinda scary lol.

Posted by: Mark at May 29, 2006 02:35 PM

It'd be scarier, Mark, if we didn't see the same story and draw exactly the opposite conclusions.

Of course, mine is the RIGHT one, leaving David to be... well, you know the term.

Posted by: Jay Tea at May 29, 2006 07:58 PM

Eh Jay, its not just writing little notes, it's saying, ok, but don't expect me to honor this if I dont want to. It's like amending a contract, and saying you agree with most of it, but will not honor certain parts. This is far from being a "little thing."

Posted by: David Scott Anderson at May 29, 2006 10:02 PM

Are Judges above the law?

It seems they have enacted "judicial legislation" that sets them above the law.

This Supreme Court case challenges that status.

Go to: http://www.judgesabovethelaw.com

Posted by: Michael Lee at June 11, 2006 06:49 PM