[DRB]

Using one of his infamous signing statements, he's saying that warrantless mail searches are allowed. Now while in the past that was true if postal inspectors believed a package to be a bomb or hazardous chemicals, this potentially could expand that to beyond inspectors for a much lower threshold of threat.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16472777/

A statement attached to postal legislation by President Bush last month may have opened the way for the government to open mail without a warrant.

The full signing statement said:

“The executive branch shall construe subsection 404(c) of title 39, as enacted by subsection 1010(e) of the act, which provides for opening of an item of a class of mail otherwise sealed against inspection, in a manner consistent, to the maximum extent permissible, with the need to conduct searches in exigent circumstances, such as to protect human life and safety against hazardous materials, and the need for physical searches specifically authorized by law for foreign intelligence collection.”

I love the ambiguity of the bolded part. I swear I'm including that in my next project presentation.

The signing statement has become the defacto veto for Bush. While I suspect that we will see more vetos in the coming months, I also exect that these statements are going to get more creative and twisted in logic.

 

[LordOpie]

Does his 'signing statements' expire at the end of his term? Or does someone with some minimum level of ethics have to go back in and void each and everyone?

 

[N8 v2.0]

..and what's the deal with Spain??

http://www.usatoday.com/news/offbeat/2006-12-22-pooping-peasant_x.htm?csp=34