Bush's bill-signing interpretive statements: "...unprecedented and alarming."

we figured out some time ago that the bush administration is bound and determined to do what it damn well pleases... we learned of the "interpretive bill-signing statement" strategy only last week, strongly supported, coincidentally enough, by supreme court nominee samuel alito... what continues to astound, however, is the scope and magnitude of the relentless bushco power grab...

Bush has used signing statements to reject, revise or put his spin on more than 500 legislative provisions. Experts say he has been far more aggressive than any previous president in using the statements to claim sweeping executive power - and not just on national security issues.

"It's nothing short of breath-taking," said Phillip Cooper, a professor of public administration at Portland State University. "In every case, the White House has interpreted presidential authority as broadly as possible, interpreted legislative authority as narrowly as possible, and pre-empted the judiciary."

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.

In some cases, Bush bluntly informs Congress that he has no intention of carrying out provisions that he considers an unconstitutional encroachment on his authority.

"They don't like some of the things Congress has done so they assert the power to ignore it," said Martin Lederman, a visiting professor at the Georgetown University Law Center. "The categorical nature of their opposition is unprecedented and alarming."

"They don't like some of the things Congress has done so they assert the power to ignore it." the constitution...? hey, it's just a piece of paper...

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