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Why Is Congress Even Bothering To Pass Laws?

George W. Bush has already made it clear that he may ignore parts of the 2007 Defense Authorization Act. To be exact, he has listed two dozens provisions in the act which he may trash, including the budget requirements for the wars in both Iraq and Afghanistan.

Bush made his stand Tuesday in one of his now-famous "signing statements," which the White House maintains are not unlike other presidential signing statements, but which are, in fact, completely different. Instead of making notes about his personal interpretations of some laws, Bush has used the signing statement to eliminate parts of laws, or the spirit of entire laws, that he does not like.

Some Constitutional scholars say that it is within Bush's legal rights to reject the war budget because, they say, the Constitution does not give Congress the authority to tell the president (or, in this case, Bush) what to request or how to request it.

Bush's other objections include:

• A requirement that he name a “coordinator of policy on North Korea” within 60 days, and submit within 90 days an updated intelligence assessment on Iran.

• A call for reports on subjects ranging from an early education program for military children to a study on assessing the safety of the nuclear stockpile.

• A response plan for remediation of unexploded ordnance, discarded military munitions, and munitions constituents.

• A report on a program for replacement of nuclear warheads on certain Trident sea-launched ballistic missiles with conventional warheads.

• Energy efficiency in weapons platforms.

• A report on participation of multinational partners in the United Nations Command in the Republic of Korea.

• A report on the implementation of the Darfur Peace Agreement.

• Quarterly reports on Department of Defense response to threat posed by improvised explosive devices.

• A National Academy of Sciences study of quantification of margins and uncertainty methodology for assessing and certifying the safety and reliability of the nuclear stockpile.

Comments

Cole wrote, further down:

>In fact, most Americans will assume that Bush has admitted that we are in an unwinnable quagmire in Iraq, just as in Vietnam. And the Iraq=Vietnam identification is likely to stick. Of all his misstatements and malapropisms over the years, any one of which would have robbed most people of credibility or made them a laughing-stock, it is ironic that this miscalculation, uttered coolly and with no stutter, may have been his biggest gaffe of all. <

Let's hope so.

Best,

Posted by: Dano on 10/19/06 at 1:22 PM

I personally don't care what lawyers from "Brainwash University" say, any person with basic reading ability can understand that the Constitution clearly states : the president can either sign the law, which then requires him to enforce it ,o, he can Veto it then if congress can get the votes they can override that Veto. Under no circomstance can a President write or alter any law passed by Congress!No where does it give him any special athority unless the country is placed under Military Rule. Congress has yet to declare war on any country. The constitution states that the president can only call up the military if this contry is attacked by another country,not when a hand full of Criminals are doing bad thing here. WHO IS TERRORISING YOU? WHO IS ON THE "NEWS?? every day scaring you to to submit to their will? Who is forcing their will on our neighbors to our north & south? WAKE UP AMERICA!!!

Posted by: Ranselar VanDerpoel on 10/20/06 at 5:10 AM

There was a story in the Washington Post the other day, referencing the fact that Bush isn't letting his people even consider the possibility of a Democratic takeover of Congress. It led me to think one of two things were possible:

1. Bush knows (wink, wink) that somehow (nod, nod) Republicans will happen to pull off just enough races at the last second to hang on;

2. These signing statements, which have been relatively rare for the past few years were a testing ground in case Democrats did end up taking Congress. He'll use the precedent he has set to basically ignore everything that comes to him from Congress, and likely set up a Constitutional crisis in order to maintain his unchecked authority.

Posted by: adam on 10/20/06 at 5:35 AM

Can we start invetigations useing the Patriot Act against the administration,as they twist and manipulate the rules so can we. CaN THE New Democratic Congress hold emergency sessions as they go on break to conviene and over ride the Clown in Office and its party

Posted by: DDA on 10/23/06 at 6:31 AM