Remember when George Bush said that he'd really like to be a dictator, because it would make things so easy for him?
If you've followed his unprecedented use of presidential signing statements, it looks more and more like he was deadly serious each time he said it.
His latest should really bother Americans who value their privacy, because -- in addition to giving himself the power to tap your phone and read your e-mail without ever securing a warrant, in clear violation of your 4th Amendment rights -- King George just gave himself the power to open up and read all of your mail.
President Bush has quietly claimed sweeping new powers to open Americans' mail without a judge's warrant, the Daily News has learned.
The President asserted his new authority when he signed a postal reform bill into law on Dec. 20. Bush then issued a "signing statement" that declared his right to open people's mail under emergency conditions.That claim is contrary to existing law and contradicted the bill he had just signed, say experts who have reviewed it.
"You have to be concerned," agreed a career senior U.S. official who reviewed the legal underpinnings of Bush's claim. "It takes Executive Branch authority beyond anything we've ever known."
[Emphasis mine.] Does this bother anyone else? George W. Bush has frequently and consistently attached signing statements to laws that completely contradict, weaken, or otherwise render useless large parts of the very law he's signing. I think he really does want to be a dictator, and that scares the hell out of me.
Dear Democrats:
Congratulations on your new majority. Can we have some investigations and oversight now, please?
Thanks,
Wil (and the vast majority of Americans.)
