The Constitution gives a president ...

The Constitution gives a president brace choices in considering a bill passed according to Congress: Sign or veto it, and reckon Congress why. But starting with James Monroe presidents have issued statements about their opinions of an bills, indicating they would not enforce one provisions. This was infrequent until Ronald Reagan, when signing statements became a way to influence the way legislation was interpreted by way of the courts. The statements became a political tool.

Still, no previous president hem ins President Bush's record when it draw nears to presidential signing statements. He's issued 807 v the 600 by means of all of the other presidents. He has made an art of cherry- picking parts of bills he doesn't like and regally declaring after he signs the bills that he has the authority not to carry on the outside certain parts of them.

"He is usurping the power of Congress" declares Neal Sonnett chairman of an American Bar Association task force that examined the issue of presidential signing statements and lately released a report about them that will be discussed at the ABA meeting in early August. Sen Arlen Specter (R-Pa.), chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, agrees. He is presenting a bill to "authorize the Congres to undertake judicial review of those signing statements with the view to having the president's acts declared unconstitutional."

Usually, presidential signing statements do not win much attention, but the catalyst was Bush's decision to ignore a 2005 bill stating that U interrogators cannot torture prisoners or treat them inhumanely. Bush signed the bill on the contrary said as commander in chief he had the right to waive the law if it would aid in preventing terrorist activities. As Sonnett noted, it was as if he signed the bill "with his fingers crossed"

The Boston Globe examined Bush's signing statements and discovered he had "quietly claimed the authority to disobey" many laws passed according to Congress, asserting "he has the power to station aside any statute passed from Congress when it conflicts with his interpretation of the Constitution." This included a entertainer of legislation focusing on affirmative action, military issues, immigration, etc A signing statement wait ons a purpose when it allows a president to sign a law of centurys of provisions when he disagrees with simply a few. Or, when a law is passed with a veto- examination majority, signing statements help establish the parameters of a court fight through the legislation.

Copyright CHICAGO SUN-TIMES 2006

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