Signing Statement kills Iraq Inspector General's Power to Probe Contracts

[Coexist]

MadScientist has a fascinating diary up at Kos.

It showcases a Dave Lindorff article from over at Counterpunch.

Apparently,

<snip>
"When the Boston Globe, this past April, broke the story that President Bush has been quietly setting aside over 750 acts passed by Congress, claiming he has the authority as "unitary executive" and as commander in chief to ignore such laws, it turned out that one of the laws the president chose to ignore was the one establishing the special inspector general post for Iraq. What the president did was write a so-called "signing statement" on the side (unpublicized of course), saying that the new inspector general would have no authority to investigate any contracts or corruption issues involving the Pentagon.

WTF?? right?. It gets better:

<snip>
You might think that the inspector general himself would have complained about such a restriction on his authority to do the job that Congress had intended, but Bush took care of that. In his role as Chief Executive, he appointed Bowen to the post, a man who has a long history of working as a loyal manservant to the president. Bowen was a deputy general counsel for Governor Bush (meaning he was an assistant to the ever solicitous solicitor Alberto Gonzales). He did yeoman service to Bush as a member of the term that handled the famous vote count atrocity in Florida in the November 2000 election, and then worked under Gonzales again in the White House during Bush's first term, before returning briefly to private practice.

Bowen simply never mentioned to anyone that, courtesy of a secretive and unconstitutional order from the president, he was not doing the job that Congress had intended.

Is your head spinning yet? This even broke through my considerable Outrage Fatigue. It hasn't reached yours yet? Check this...

<snip>
If this seems far-fetched to anyone, remember that this administration has included a number of people who were linked to the Reagan-era Iran-Contra scandal, when the creative-and criminal-idea was conceived of secretly selling Pentagon stocks of shoulder-fired Stinger anti-aircraft missiles to Iran, and using the proceeds to secretly fund the U.S.-trained and organized Contra fighters who were fighting to topple the Sandinista government in Nicaragua (Congress had inconveniently banned any U.S. aid to the Contras).

Iran-Contra creative financing. Who was involved in that again? Not anyone G.W. would allow back now, right?

IRAN-Contra. Ponder that for a moment - given present circumstances. Re-read the emails detailing weapons sold to IRAN. You know, one of the mighty triumvirate, one corner of the Axis of Evil triangle. And Elliot Abrams is at the guy in charge of protecting Human Rights and Advancing Democracy in the Middle East.

Billions missing. No power to investigate. Iran-Contra players involved.

Scared? Dizzy? Want to know where the hell the money went, but dreading the answer? I know how you feel. Maybe it was funneled to the RNC for campaigns (isn't it telling I would actually feel relief at that - dirty campaign money is the best case scenario?)

What do you think happened to it, considering this information? Barring a Come-to-Jesus whistleblower from Bush's inner sanctum, we may never know.

[Hubert Flottz]

1. The mob is running the country!

PERIOD!

[cyberpj]

10. Mob is just the right word too. They truly are gangsters. nt

[enough]

2. Yikes. (nt)

[ThomWV]

3. Kicked Because Its So Damned Important

It really is.

Remember the call to give you control over your own earnings? Well those earnings are in part taxed and these billions of disapeared dollars are yours, mine, and our neighbors. They have been stolen from their intended purpose and used by someone for something else. It is as reasonable as not to assume that the new purpose that money funds is contrary to your, mine, and our neighbor's best interest.

[AndrewJacksonFaction]

4. I don't even get frustrated anymore. Yet another day.

I will save my outrage for when the Dems take office. Then if nothing is done.........

[CheshireCat]

5. Karma

One day all the illegal and unethical actions of this misadministration will catch up with these crooks. IT may be years from now, but karma will get them.

It can't happen fast enough for me.

[ChairmanAgnostic]

6. what you said. nt

[chill_wind]

7. They are not stupid men. Nor young men. They've made their calculations

and it has been worth it, all of it, to them.

They are banking on not living long enough to reap the kind of justices visited on them decades from now, perhaps never, that old Nazis deserve.

Even so, they've lived well and long in their obscene wealth and power and protections of their paid-for politicians, judges and courts, and their offspring have long since been very well and thoughtfully provided for. They sleep self-satisfied and content.

WE pay. OUR children pay and will pay. Not theirs.

[tbyg52]

9. Karma and the history books...

will get them if there are any books left after the rising of the waters.

These "signing statements" are disgusting and, I fervently believe, illegal. Where in the Constitution does it say the President can sign, veto, OR IGNORE?????????

I once called one of my senators to object to this practice, and was assured by the nice person on the phone that the signing statements had "no effect" and that the law was still the law. Leaving me with two questions: 1) Why does he do it then? Just for his own amusement? 2) Is he following the laws or not? If not, why are we and the Congress that passed them putting up with it??????

[JudyM]

8. What credible reason could he have had? This is worthy of LTTEs en masse.

[Senator]

11. Important Eliz. Drew article called "Power Grab"

All she writes about the Inpectors General issue is:

He has also overruled Congress's requirement that he report back to it on how he has implemented a number of laws. Moreover, he has refused to enforce laws protecting whistle-blowers and providing safeguards against political interference in federally funded research. Bush has also used signing statements to place severe limits on the inspectors general created by Congress to oversee federal activities, including two officials who were supposed to inspect and report to Congress on the US occupation of Iraq.

But the article is important in that it comes from inside the DC/Euphemedia Analstocracy (Drew herself).

Therefore it has potential (albeit small) to penetrate the non-reality bubble.

And with it quoting Grover Norquist as saying:

"If you interpret the Constitution's saying that the president is commander in chief to mean that the president can do anything he wants and can ignore the laws you don't have a constitution: you have a king." He adds, "They're not trying to change the law; they're saying that they're above the law and in the case of the NSA wiretaps they break it."

We may have a beltway full of emasculated Rethugs realizing that all this bushkid gang has done is raised the real possibility of a power-mad Queen Hillary (oh my!) bent on revenge and generations of minority status.

If their current paranoia turns to frenzy, they could even dump (impeach) him before the midterms. (yes, really)

--

[natrat]

12. se ya in the camps