So Laws Still Don't Apply to King George?

President Bu$h issued a "signing statement" addendum after he signed the Patriot Act extension stating that his administration can ignore parts that don't suit their agenda. In that this legislation was hardly viewed by many leftist and even "old school" Conservatives as being protective enough of our Constitutional guarantees, especially given this administration's record, Bu$hCo's actions are rather a confirmation of our concerns. Charlie Savage of the Boston Globe reports

Bush signed the bill with fanfare at a White House ceremony March 9, calling it ''a piece of legislation that's vital to win the war on terror and to protect the American people." But after the reporters and guests had left, the White House quietly issued a ''signing statement," an official document in which a president lays out his interpretation of a new law.

In the statement, Bush said that he did not consider himself bound to tell Congress how the Patriot Act powers were being used and that, despite the law's requirements, he could withhold the information if he decided that disclosure would ''impair foreign relations, national security, the deliberative process of the executive, or the performance of the executive's constitutional duties."

Bush wrote: ''The executive branch shall construe the provisions . . . that call for furnishing information to entities outside the executive branch . . . in a manner consistent with the president's constitutional authority to supervise the unitary executive branch and to withhold information . . . "

This latest addendum has been remarkably ignored by the mainstream media, especially given the context of censure or even impeachment options over the bypassing of FISA by the NSA, torture, gaming the intelligence, etc. Bu$h truly believes that he is above the law. He has apparent contempt for Congress and certain contempt for the Constitution. Peace ... or War!