Over-the-Top: BUSCHO and Its Ever Widening Overreach

Every time we turn around, there's another over-reach or downright excess by the Bush administration. Here's what the Countdown With Keith Olberman Newsletter says on the matter:

"The powerful American Bar Association charged president George Bush with flouting the constitution and undermining the rule of the law by assuming power to disregard selected provisions of bills he signs. An 11-member bipartisan panel of the bar association said in a report that Bush had used the provision of "signing statements" far more than his predecessors, raising constitutional objections to over 800 provisions in more than 100 laws as they infringed on his prerogatives. The panel said these uses of power by the president amounted to "veto" and deprived the Congress of the opportunity to override the veto." http://www.wwlia.org/legalnews/legal2006,1471,U.S.-bar-panel-raps-Bush-on-signing-statements.html

There's more:

"On the same subject, a top Senate Republican said on Monday he will challenge U.S. President George W. Bush's practice of claiming a right to ignore or not enforce sections of bills that he signs into law. Judiciary Committee Chairman Arlen Specter said he plans to introduce legislation this week that would give the U.S. Congress the right to bring a lawsuit against Bush's "signing statements." http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/14020234/

Somehow, however, I am not reassured that Specter is on task. Given his previous bluster followed by total capitulation (and then some) -- on the NSA spying issue, Specter has proven he can't be trusted to be our watchdog. What we ended up with under Specter's "compromise" with the White House was worse than if he had done nothing. It was downright misleading and betrayal of the Congress and the American people. The first agenda item in reclaiming our country has to be the defeat, or replacement as chair of the Senate judiciary, of Arlen Specter. An able polkitical organization, such as Democracy for America should undertake this project, post haste.