On Friday Bush issued his latest Signing Statement. Unlike many of his other ones this one does little damage to anything but how history will see this era. No direct signs he plans on ignoring any Laws or further usurping of the Constitution. This Singing Statement is nothing but a backhanded slap in the face at those that have tried to stop the wholesale destruction of our Constitution.
I also believe it is important to recognize the urgent need for Congress to pass legislation to modernize the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, a decades-old law that should be updated to address changes in communication technology while protecting the civil liberties of our citizens. The Director of National Intelligence has stated unequivocally that without this change in the law, we will continue to miss significant amounts of information that we should be collecting to protect against potential terrorist attacks.
I check for new Signing Statements almost daily and just found this a few hours ago. I do wonder if members of Congress knew about it before the votes, not for any special reason other than idle wonder. This one is as mild as we have seen in terms of the damage it could reek. The next one should be of more interest if Bush has not learned his lesson, or his arrogance gets the better of him.
For those of you who may be new to Bushs use of these little notes, in the 1st paragraph Bush says " To implement the recommendations of the 9/11 Commission, I have issued numerous Executive Orders, Presidential Directives, and National Strategies. I have also signed into law the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004, the PATRIOT Act, and other important pieces of legislation." Do yourself a favor and Google a few of the things he has issued for our own good. Have your Tinfoil Fedora handy, it may be needed. On April 30th of last years the Boston Globe wrote about the use of this things that you should not miss reading, if you haven't read it already.
Among the laws Bush said he can ignore are military rules and regulations, affirmative-action provisions, requirements that Congress be told about immigration services problems, ''whistle-blower" protections for nuclear regulatory officials, and safeguards against political interference in federally funded research.
Legal scholars say the scope and aggression of Bush's assertions that he can bypass laws represent a concerted effort to expand his power at the expense of Congress, upsetting the balance between the branches of government. The Constitution is clear in assigning to Congress the power to write the laws and to the president a duty ''to take care that the laws be faithfully executed." Bush, however, has repeatedly declared that he does not need to ''execute" a law he believes is unconstitutional.
One thing among the thousands is found in the last 2 sentences of this Signing Statement where Bush continues to deny that his main duty is the Protection of our Constitution, not the safety of the citizens. This is a key flaw to everyone of his claims to false powers.
I thank members of both parties in Congress who worked on this legislation and I appreciate the willingness of members to strengthen provisions we believed would have weakened our security. Leaders in Washington should never forget that our most important duty is to protect the American people. I will continue to work with the Congress to ensure we are doing everything we can to keep our Nation safe.
If you believe this I have a bridge in Minn. to sell you. I am posting the entire Signing Statement below for your ease of use. My commentary ends here for what it was worth.
For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
August 3, 2007President Bush Signs "Implementing Recommendations of the 9/11" into Law
[2007-02] -- 43 WCPD _ (___________, 2007)Today, I signed into law the "Implementing Recommendations of the 9/11 Commission Act of 2007." This legislation builds upon the considerable progress we have made in strengthening our defenses and protecting Americans since the attacks of September 11, 2001. In the largest restructuring of our government since World War II, we created the Department of Homeland Security to better coordinate the protection and response capabilities of our government. The Director of National Intelligence leads a restructured intelligence community that is better able to uncover, understand, and counter threats from terrorists. To implement the recommendations of the 9/11 Commission, I have issued numerous Executive Orders, Presidential Directives, and National Strategies. I have also signed into law the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004, the PATRIOT Act, and other important pieces of legislation.
I am pleased that the legislation I signed today protects Americans from being unduly prosecuted for reporting activity that could lead to acts of terrorism. I also appreciate the steps taken to modernize the Visa Waiver Program, particularly the additional security measures, but I will continue to work with Congress to advance our security and foreign policy objectives by allowing greater flexibility to bring some of our closest allies into the program. I will also continue to work with Congress to ensure the workability of the cargo screening provisions in a way that increases our vigilance on homeland security while ensuring the continuance of vital commerce. And I appreciate the willingness of Congress to remove several provisions that had previously generated concern.
There is still other work to be done. I continue to believe that Congress should act on the outstanding 9/11 Commission recommendations to reform the legislative branch's oversight of intelligence and counter-terrorism activities, which the Commission described as dysfunctional. While this legislation does not heed the Commission's advice, I hope Congress revisits the issue soon.
I also believe it is important to recognize the urgent need for Congress to pass legislation to modernize the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, a decades-old law that should be updated to address changes in communication technology while protecting the civil liberties of our citizens. The Director of National Intelligence has stated unequivocally that without this change in the law, we will continue to miss significant amounts of information that we should be collecting to protect against potential terrorist attacks.
Congress should also continue to strive to better target grant dollars to cities and states based on risk. This legislation makes some progress, but it also authorizes billions of dollars for grants and other programs that are unnecessary or should not be funded at such excessive levels. I will not request this excessive funding in my 2009 budget request.
I thank members of both parties in Congress who worked on this legislation and I appreciate the willingness of members to strengthen provisions we believed would have weakened our security. Leaders in Washington should never forget that our most important duty is to protect the American people. I will continue to work with the Congress to ensure we are doing everything we can to keep our Nation safe.
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