Signing Statements Part II

Since I recently found out about these signing statements I have been utterly fascinated. We actually have in office a president that is actually asserting the power of congress and the justice system. Through signing statements W. has usurped part of the power of congress by deciding which parts of the laws he signs apply to him and part of the power of the judicial branch by using his own interpretation of the constitution to justify himself. The Boston Globe has a very interesting article about just this situation.

This is from Charlie Savage's article in The Boston Globe that is cited in the hyperlink above. It illustrates why this has come out only recently despite the fact that W. has been using signing statements since he took office:

"For the first five years of Bush's presidency, his legal claims attracted little attention in Congress or the media. Then, twice in recent months, Bush drew scrutiny after challenging new laws: a torture ban and a prequirement that he gave detailed reports to Congress about how he is using the Patriot Act."

The article that I was reading that got me linked to the one above also had this to say:

"If the President doesn't obey the law, what the heck is he? He's a dictator in a coup, I think--but no matter, according to the media, he's A-DOR-ABLE!"
Chris Durang

I really like this because its exactly what was on the tip of my tongue.
This is the time for action. W. Claims that he is doing it in the best interest of the country, but I will say absolutely that anything he does that usurps any power from congress of the judicial system is bad for America. The whole purpose of checks and balances is to ensure that this sort of thing doesn't go on. If the executive branch gets out of hand, things will get very bad for the American People. There shouldn't be any more waiting. W. has already overstepped his bounds enough to warrant an investigation.