Obama circumvents Constitution with ‘signing statements’ after blasting Bush

[rangerrebew]

Obama circumvents Constitution with ‘signing statements’ after blasting Bush

By Stephen Dinan - The Washington Times - Monday, December 26, 2016

President Obama said Friday that the annual defense policy bill Congress sent him violated the Constitution — but he signed it anyway.

Instead of a veto, Mr. Obama issued a statement saying he would modify the law in its execution so he carries it out the way he thinks meets constitutional muster.

Mr. Obama promised during the 2008 campaign not to engage in issuing signing statements. He said that kind of behavior was a dark spot on the presidency of George W. Bush. But in the years since, Mr. Obama has become a regular practitioner, issuing more than 20 signing statements purporting to alter the way Congress wrote laws.

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2016/dec/26/obama-circumvents-constitution-with-signing-statem/

[Doug Loss]

I've always wondered about this.  George W. Bush did it too: declare that a bill passed by Congress was unconstitutional, but sign it into law anyway.  Doesn't the oath that a president swears to take office have him vow to preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution?  I should think that would require him to veto any bill he believed was unconstitutional.  Just more evidence that none of them (at least since Grover Cleveland, who actually did what I'm talking about here) really believe that the Constitution limits them.