For the first part of his Presidency, Bush has been given a free ride by the press. This not only hurt the American people, but also placed the press in a very peculiar situation. The White House became accustomed to such a passive press that once the media started asking the hard questions they did not know how to act. The press in turn knew they had to start going harder after the White House to regain the trust of the American people.
We are starting to see more evidence of this struggle. When the New York Times reported about a secret government program last week that looked into the bank accounts of millions of people without a court order, the White House responded. They are acting like the New York Times has committed treason, which is a crime against the Constitution. Ironically, the White House has ignored the other media outlets which reported on the same story, including the conservative Wall Street Journal.
Now the press is fighting back even harder. Today the Associated Press published an article that is probably the most critical article to date of Bush. It also shows Americans how the White House is working harder to destroy the fundamental values of our Democracy and turn us into an imperialistic society.
A bill becomes the rule of the land when Congress passes it and the president signs it into law, right?
Not necessarily, according to the White House. A law is not binding when a president issues a separate statement saying he reserves the right to revise, interpret or disregard it on national security and constitutional grounds.
That’s the argument a Bush administration official is expected to make Tuesday before the Senate Judiciary Committee, chaired by Arlen Specter, R-Pa., who has demanded a hearing on a practice he considers an example of the administration’s abuse of power.
“It’s a challenge to the plain language of the Constitution,” Specter said in an interview with The Associated Press. “I’m interested to hear from the administration just what research they’ve done to lead them to the conclusion that they can cherry-pick.”
Apparently, enough to challenge many more statutes passed by Congress than any other president, Specter’s committee says. The White House does not dispute that, but notes that Bush is hardly the first chief executive to issue them.
“Signing statements have long been issued by presidents, dating back to Andrew Jackson all the way through President Clinton,” White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said Monday.
Finally the press really wakes up and talks about what is happening. We, as Americans, learn at a young age how laws are made in our nation. Our Constitution already supplies a powerful tool to the President if he does not like a bill. That tool is called a veto and Bush has yet to issue one in his five years as President. Why should he? He feels he can change the actual language of the laws passed by our legislation at will. There is not one single provision in the Constitution which calls for that.
So while people are out there talking about charging the New York Times with treason, then they should also look at our White House. Bush violates the base law of this land on an almost daily basis. Our nation has been hijacked by a power hungry President, along with an administration that has had a long history of advocating for a stronger administrative branch. This is not about being Republican or Democrat, this is about being American. This is about saving the very basic of ideals that has made this country great. Bush has clearly over extended his power and violated the law and he must be charged with that crime.