- The president authorized illegal wiretaps on persons in this country, specifically and deliberately bypassing the FISA courts, in direct contravention of specific laws and rules that mandated he first obtain warrants. He also deliberately misinformed or underinformed members of Congress about the nature and extent of the program, including restrictions against any public discussion of the program.
- After signing the current defense bill into law, a bill that included specific prohibitions against torture of any or all persons under U.S. control, he issued an executive statement saying, in effect, '...but I'll do what I think I have to in order to defend the country.' In other words, 'never mind.'
- Bush repeatedly bypasses Congress by using recess appointments to give a number of his friends/cronies government positions. The most notable of these is U.N. Ambassador John Bolton, but recently another pack of cronies slipped by under the radar, most notably Julie L. Myers, tapped to head the Immigration and Customs Enforcement division of the Homeland Security Department. Most of these appointees are long on connections yet short on relevant experience or qualifications and were anticipating difficulty getting their nominations through Congress. These appointments include posts at the Pentagon, district judges and the like. A summary of the latest offenses can be found here at the Washington Post.
- The administration is re-interpreting a recently-passed law to allow them to dismiss hundreds of legal complaints filed by Guantanamo detainees. This lets him do an end run around both the Congress and the Supreme Court. A two-fer!
Just do a few Google News Searches; it's amazing what turns up.
- Bush Bypasses
- Bush "recess appointment"
- Bush "recess appointment" -Bolton (to filter out the Bolton news)
Bypass, bypass. It's the only way to do things the way you want, I suppose.
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