Over the past few days, the Bush White House has jacked up its image as an in-your-face presidency, daring Congress, the courts, and the public to stop its defiant abuse of laws.
For starters, The Boston Globe reveals that President Bush has quietly issued "signing statements" asserting his right to ignore 750 laws that he believes restrict his constitutional powers. The constitution, however, is clear—Congress writes laws and the president must "take care that the laws be faithfully executed."
Then, The Chicago Tribune reports that Vice President Cheney refuses to comply with a 2003 Bush executive order requiring executive branch offices to report what documents they've classified and withheld from public inspection. Cheney's office announced he's "not under any duty" to abide by the order.
Finally, the National Archives reports that in 2004, executive branch offices classified 15.6 million documents, double the number classified in Bush's first year in office.
A reasonable argument could be made that the race to classify and withhold documents from the public is linked to the threat of Bush's political lawyer, Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, to prosecute news reporters for espionage by publishing national security papers, hoping to muzzle the press from reporting on White House activities.
The result of more documents being concealed and of Bush's refusal to comply with laws (such as requiring court approval of eavesdropping on Americans) clearly expands secrecy and power of this White House.
Out of dumb party loyalty, Republicans in Congress have been mute and passive about Bush's insulting decision to flagrantly ignore their legislation.
Although Democrat leaders in Washington are a pathetic excuse for political competence with no earthly ideas of how to oppose President Bush, even the simple-minded could challenge Republicans with this: "The Clinton Test."
Assume President Hillary Clinton is occupying the Oval Office and Republicans still control the Senate and House.
Assume she decides not to comply with 750 laws; that she would expand eavesdropping on Americans; that she would prosecute reporters like foreign spies for disclosing leaked documents, and that she would double the number of documents concealed from the public.
Would the Republican majority remain passive and allow President Hillary Clinton to expand her power as it has with President Bush?
Or, would it be only a matter of hours before Articles of Impeachment were introduced by House Republicans to oust President Hillary Clinton and Senate Republicans put her on trial for high crimes and misdemeanors?
Hah.
Pat Murphy
