Outrageous When Bush Did It

Another Obama promise, this time not to use signing statements, passes its expiration date.

And the big guns are firing!  Rob Warmoski of the HuffPo (No, I've never heard of him either, but then, he has never heard of me) denounced this on June 27.

The DemocraticLuntz at the Daily Kos was fired up on June 26.

In a blog post Charlie Savage of The Times, who picked up a Pulitzer for his coverage of this very topic, tiptoes around the subject in as non-inflammatory a manner as possible:

President Obama issued another signing statement on Friday, asserting that he has the constitutional power to disregard five sections of a supplemental appropriations bill even as he signed it into law.

...

Mr. Obama’s premise that the president enjoys exclusive control over the nation’s foreign policy in such matters echoes a stance frequently asserted by his predecessor, former President George W. Bush, in his signing statements.

Mr. Bush’s frequent use of the device to claim a right to bypass laws prompted criticism by the American Bar Association in 2006. Its House of Delegates called signing statements “contrary to the rule of law and our constitutional separation of powers,” and called on presidents to stop using the device and instead to veto legislation if it has sections that the president believes to be unconstitutional.

Shortly after taking office, Mr. Obama issued a directive to executive agencies telling them not to rely on any of Mr. Bush’s signing statements to bypass a law without prior approval from the attorney general. He also promised to use the device sparingly, and only to invoke mainstream theories of the Constitution.

Since then, he has issued several signing statements of his own.

But let's be fair - here is what passes for criticism of Obama from the NY Times, written last March:

As a candidate, Barack Obama offered withering criticism of President Bush’s signing statements — declarations that he would not enforce parts of the bills he signed. So it was encouraging when President Obama invalidated the Bush signing statements last week and explained when he would issue statements of his own.

If Mr. Obama lives up to the principles he outlined last week, he could roll back the excessive powers that Mr. Bush claimed for his presidency, but the new president quickly issued a signing statement of his own that made us wonder just how clean a break he intended to make.

And here is some coverage of that controversy by Charlie Savage.

PROPS:  The Eerily Prescient Rick Moran was on this on June 6.

Comments

[bad]

O sure is doing a lot of stuff he criticized Bush for doing, yet is unable to admit his braying was in error.

What an ass.

[clarice]

For as much as the press isn't reporting on his loop de loops, he might as well have written his campaign promises in invisible ink. No?

[bad]

Perhaps he wants to pirrouette as prettily as Rham....

[Elliott]

For whatever reason the reference to invisible ink makes me think that if Rick writes an AT article on GS it should be entitled "A cross of Gold(man Sachs)."

[PeterUK]

Barrack Hussein Obama.

"Sell 'em sunshine and ship 'em shit".

[MayBee]

O sure is doing a lot of stuff he criticized Bush for doing, yet is unable to admit his braying was in error.

That's why I find it so amusing when he decries "naysayers". As if he didn't make a career of naysaying and promises to be different.

[daddy]

OT, but did the used Book Stores in Berkeley today. NO Glenn Beck, "Common Sense", no Jonah Goldberg "Liberal Fascism", no etc etc etc, but I didn't expect any. But in my favorite Science section (3rd floor Moe's), came upon a magesterial academic text on "Deformed Frogs". Must have been the Bible on Ozone depletion and Toxic groundwater causing Legless frog deformations. Text was 69 dollars new, 39 used, and had dozens of glossy color photos of irregular frogs. Author was some big Prof at Indiana, head of the Medicine department and other science positions, and the laudatory comments on the back flap lead off with the Head of the Science Department at Harvard, etc. You know the rest.

By coincidence Doctor Dean on KGO (810 AM) came on and mentioned the Legless Frogs, but only the fact that scientists had now discovered it was nymphs eating their legs. Nothing else. No science Mea Culpa's, no discussion of the havoc such research has crated among American Industry, no comments of the gullibility of scientists to jump on a pseudo-science bandwagon, and no mention of equating it with AGW or any other pseudo science fad. Nothing. Devoted maybe 45 seconds to the topic, afterwhich safely down the memory hole, Dr Dean was on to a discussion of Chinese Toilets.

And he even got part of that wrong. Trust me.

[clarice]

Oh, if you'd write that frog business up as an AT blog, daddy!

[JM Hanes]

Smith, of Appalachia, Va., is a volunteer for Organizing for America, Obama's political operation within the Democratic National Committee.

More accurately described as Astroturf HQ.

[PD]

O sure is doing a lot of stuff he criticized Bush for doing, yet is unable to admit his braying was in error.

And my Senator, Feingold, who loudly and often criticized Bush for so-called expansion of power of the Executive, signing statements, GITMO detentions, etc., is strangely silent when Obama follows in Bush's steps.

He was so brave with his criticism when Bush was in office. His silence now shows him to be nothing but a partisan hack.

[daddy]

Clarice,

I am terible at that AT Blog stuff, but if I can think of something decent and fun to say about legless frogs, I will give it a shot when I get home tomorrow.

BTW, was able to find a copy of Chaplain's "The Gold Rush" for TC's daughter. It's silent, 1916, but very funny. It will be interesting to find out how it comes across almost 100 years later to a 20 year old. So all in all my mission to Berkeley was a success today.

[DrJ]

Just curious, daddy, but have you explored some of the Telegraph-area restaurants? Many are typical student fare, but there are a few gems. An Ethiopian and a Thai place come to mind. There's also a Korean place that is solid but certainly not fancy.

[daddy]

DrJ,

I have in the past with the wife, especially a Thai Place on I think University between Shattuck and the University, but on these day layovers, I generally simply do Telegraph, the Raleigh Pub (now Manny's where the food is awful), or maybe a slice of Blondie's Pizza or a killer burrito from that place next to Starbucks just up from the Bart Station. The Emeryville place near our hotel which has the Border's Book Store and the Broken Rack Pool Place has a ton of great little ethnic food stalls in the food court, so rarely do I do a sit down meal anymore in the Bay Area. Great weather today, Aye?

Whats also cool, is on the ADF (AM radio) I can get 810 and 680 at about 800 miles out of San Francisco when coming inbound from the west, so if it's not too late at night I get Giant's baseball. Last night was 2 hours of guys screaming on KGO about repealing Prop 13 as the click ticked down to midnight and the state went broke. It kept me awake.

[DrJ]

daddy, there really is a lot of good food in Berkeley. Just not in the Telegraph area and that's why I asked. If you are fine with your routine, then stay with it.

As to the weather, here it cooled off to about 98 degrees today. I'm about two hours east of Berkeley in the Sierra foothills. I still go there a lot to visit with friends and UC faculty (I did my doctoral work there).

But if you let me know in advance, I be pleased to come down to meet with you. I could show you some of the more interesting places, though Moe's is great.

[DrJ]

Ah, contact info. You can reach me at info at sonatabio dot com.

[Thomas Collins]

I'll let her know it's on the way, daddy! Thank you!

[daddy]

Dr J,

Thanks for the contact info. Looking forward to getting together sometime in the future. Thai or Afghani or Ethiopian etc suits me fine.

TC,

Will probably put the Berkeley care package in the mail Friday morning. Just FYI, if there is anything you can think of you'd like me to add to the box, please post it on this thread tonight which I'll be checking back on and will be happy to send. Hope she likes SweetTarts!!!
I got some other nutty like junk as stuffing in the box which I hope will amuse.

[Ann]

daddy, You are really sweet.

Do you have any sons around the age of fifteen because I want my daughter to meet him. :wink:

[DrJ]

daddy, do let me know when you are next in Emeryville. Afghani I'm afraid I can't help you with, but with the others I can. And others, including good local microbreweries.

[clarice]

Gateway Pundit:
"Figures. All of the audience members called on by Obama at his Virginia town hall meeting were supporters.
The Weekly Standard reported on this from The Washington Post:

"The president called randomly on three audience members. All turned out to be members of groups with close ties to his administration: the Service Employees International Union, Health Care for America Now, and Organizing for America, which is a part of the Democratic National Committee. White House officials said that was a coincidence."
This wasn't the first time.
Dear Leader's town hall participants at the White House in March were ALL campaign supporters or donors.
"