Bush issues signing statement on permanent bases

[deminks]

http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2008/01/20080128-10.html

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2008/1/29/121842/149/32/445408

(snip)

So, the President has asserted the right to refrain from establishing a war profiteering commission and enforce whistleblower protection laws. Could it get any worse than that? Apparently, it can.

Prepare yourself for this last one:

SEC. 1222. LIMITATION ON AVAILABILITY OF FUNDS FOR CERTAIN PURPOSES RELATING TO IRAQ.


No funds appropriated pursuant to an authorization of appropriations in this Act may be obligated or expended for a purpose as follows:

(1) To establish any military installation or base for the purpose of providing for the permanent stationing of United States Armed Forces in Iraq.

(2) To exercise United States control of the oil resources of Iraq.There you have it.

(end snip)

and from the signing statement:

(snip)

Provisions of the Act, including sections 841, 846, 1079, and 1222, purport to impose requirements that could inhibit the President's ability to carry out his constitutional obligations to take care that the laws be faithfully executed, to protect national security, to supervise the executive branch, and to execute his authority as Commander in Chief. The executive branch shall construe such provisions in a manner consistent with the constitutional authority of the President.

[wtmusic]

1. Above the law

Impeach. Imprison. Now. :grr:

[AndyA]

2. Thank goodness that the "constitutional authority" of THIS pResident

is about to end.

Some one needs to take his pen away from him, hide it, drain the ink out of it, or something, so he can't be issuing any more signing statements.

He must have worn a hole in the desk by now signing so many of them!

[Solly Mack]

3. America's little tramp

[bdamomma]

6. or like the picture in his office showing a horse thief.

instead of stealing horses he is stealing from the American people. What a criminal this boy/king is.

[Solly Mack]

14. That picture says so much about him doesn't it?

[The Stranger]

4. I'm glad so many DUers think that the Democratic Congressional leadership/majority is helpless to do

anything. Given that the big, bad, mean cowpowate media could say some vewy bad things, and so many Democrats say that they "don't have the votes," that they incriminate themselves, because so many of them say this that they unwittingly reveal that they do have the votes.

[bdamomma]

5. there it is written in blood (2) control of the oil resources.

these thugs need to be arrested and incarcerated.

[Cant trust em]

7. Hi, I'm George Bush and I do whatever the fuck I want

[mzmolly]

8. Bush has once again confused "President" with King and constitutional authority with

birth right. :puke:

[Supersedeas]

9. the national security loophole for Presidential fiat is getting old

[TahitiNut]

10. It's the exact same assumption of illicit "authority" that led to Iran/Contra.

There is absolutely NO demonstration that his claim of authority is valid. None. This is why the FAILURE to extend the prosecution of Iran/Contra to Reagan and Bush has guaranteed the Cheney/Bush regime's abuse of power ... and the FAILURE to prosecute THEM will lead to even WORSE abuses of power in the future.

[wtmusic]

11. I'm gonna start issuing ME some signing statements

"Nothing in federal or state law shall prevent wtmusic from exercising the rights mandated by the Constitution of the United States to promote my general welfare."

Hah!

[donheld]

12. He's been a law unto himself

and he's getting away with it :grr::grr::grr::grr::grr::grr::grr::grr::grr:

[endarkenment]

13. Our system is stupid.

We elect a dictator every four years, trusting that the election (a process not defined well nor regulated by any standard process) is not rigged and hoping that the dictator won't wreck the republic. A succession of not so good dictators since the end of WWII have in fact turned the republic over to a small group of very wealthy elites who have set up corrupt 'complexes': schemes to funnel our tax dollars into their pockets, such as the military industial complex, the prison industrial complex, and now the security industrial complex, that have become completely entrenched and institutionalized. Here is a clue: they will defend their little scam with your life.