President Bush has three years left in the White House. That's troubling to many Americans, whose concerns have grown as Bush pursues his antiterror campaign with fervor. What's troubling is not his determination but his habit of virtually ignoring Congress and of bypassing the courts when it suits his purpose. Most disturbing is Bush's willingness to ignore the law, even ones he has signed.
But in today's climate - especially in the wake of revelations about the abuse of prisoners and warrantless eavesdropping by the National Security Agency on communications between this country and abroad, not to mention Bush's demagoguery against criticism of his Iraq policy - charity and trust are in short supply. Critics see Bush's words as a signal that he is prepared to ignore the anti-torture law.
If the President has overreached his authority, a point in obvious dispute, then the other two branches of government have, within their power, the ability to reign him in.
The President is naturally going to interpret laws to give him the broadest mandate possible, thus he has said that the post-9/11 resolution gives him the power to conduct some domestic surveillance. If Congress doesn't intend the President to conduct such actions, they can pass a law restricting such activity. If an American is harmed by the activity, they can sue to have the government's action limited.
The fact that Congress fails to exercise its checks and balances against the President is neither the fault nor the duty of the President.
Just a little civics lesson for the Bee.
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