January 10, 2006
Bush's Strategy
Bush using a little-noticed strategy to alter the balance of power
Bush has used signing statements to reject, revise or put his spin on more than 500 legislative provisions. Experts say he has been far more aggressive than any previous president in using the statements to claim sweeping executive power - and not just on national security issues.
"It's nothing short of breath-taking," said Phillip Cooper, a professor of public administration at Portland State University. "In every case, the White House has interpreted presidential authority as broadly as possible, interpreted legislative authority as narrowly as possible, and pre-empted the judiciary."
By Ron Hutcheson and James Kuhnhenn
thanks Conscientious
~Politics as usual?
[illus. not from above]