Patrick Leahy: “yesterday we were reminded, again, of the lawlessness of the Bush-Cheney administration as it continues its abuse of…”

“yesterday we were reminded, again, of the lawlessness of the Bush-Cheney administration as it continues its abuse of ``signing statements'' as part of a systematic pursuit of power without the checks and balances inherent in our constitutional democracy. A most distinguished task force of the American Bar Association has now released a unanimous report highly critical of this President's practice as ``contrary to the rule of law and our constitutional system of separation of powers.'' I thank the distinguish panel of conservatives and moderates, or Republicans and Democrats for their thoughtful report. Let me be clear, this is not some academic debate without consequences. I have been seeking to draw attention to this surreptitious power-grab for at least 4 years, since this President's unusual signing statement following enactment of the Sarbanes-Oxley bill in 2002 to reign in corporate abuses that cost so many Americans their livelihoods and their retirement savings through Enron and other scandals. The President signed the bill but had secret ``reservations.'' That is when I first realized the President's unorthodox, unwise and unsound practice of signing a bill while crossing his fingers behind his back.…”