It's So Hard To Be A Unitary Executive These Days

It would appear that the lamest of the lame duckedness at the end of any President's second term is already creeping into the White House's official pronouncements.

President Bush yesterday phoned in a "presidential signing statement," one of the acts by which the president claims he can ignore passages of legislation passed by Congress:

The Act contains certain provisions identical to those found in prior bills passed by the Congress that might be construed to be inconsistent with my Constitutional responsibilities (sections 8005, 8009, 8012(b), 8034(b), 8052, 8082, 8085, 8089, 8091, and 8116, and the provision concerning consolidation under the heading "Operation and Maintenance, Defense Wide"). To avoid such potential infirmities, I will interpret and construe such provisions in the same manner as I have previously stated in regard to those provisions.

I guess W. is tired of throwing his weight around as the "unitary executive" who can do no wrong.

Back in the day, we could imagine President Bush, or rather this lawyers (make that Dick Cheney's lawyers) going line by line through each piece of legislation and saying which parts of it he would and would not ignore, and explaining precisely why. But with his case of senioritis advancing, the president can't even be bothered now.

When you read "as I have previously stated," you can instead imagine him as a 16 year old whose mother has just asked him to clean his room.

"Again!?" he whines.

And we know that all those legislative provisions stuffed under his supreme presidential bed will come spilling out once again next autumn when the president has to sign the very last of his defense spending bills.

Please, Mister President. If you're going to thumb your nose at the Constitution, for everybody's sake, go all the way with it. A display like this one makes it seem like even you are no longer serious in arguing that your administration can do whatever it wants whenever it wants.

Comments

[mommadona]

He still has Executive Order #51 and the football.

4th and 10

Bush is known to "Hail Mary".
Never underestimate a fanatic
on a "mission from Gawd".

[Merg]

I like the title "His Royal Lame Duckedness" who phones it in. Maybe it will stick.

[Sundialsvc4]

(Thin smile...)

"This Constitution, and the Laws of the United States which shall be made in Pursuance thereof; and all Treaties made, or which shall be made, under the Authority of the United States, shall be the supreme Law of the Land; and the Judges in every State shall be bound thereby, any Thing in the Constitution or Laws of any State to the Contrary notwithstanding."

And that, oh by the way, includes the President of the United States .. whose entire office, and all of the authority thereunto appertaining, is defined by Article Two of the aforesaid document.

And if I may, let me point particular attention to Section Four of the aforesaid Article Two, which reads, to wit:

"The President, Vice President and all civil Officers of the United States, shall be removed from Office on Impeachment for, and Conviction of, Treason, Bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors."

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Isn't it amazing what a single piece of vellum can do? Perhaps the President should take a stroll tomorrow afternoon, weather permitting, to the National Archives building? I'm sure they would be delighted to see him there. He might even learn something...