[R-G] Signing Statements and Permanent Bases in Iraq -- Interviews Available

[Yoshie Furuhashi]

Institute for Public Accuracy
915 National Press Building, Washington, D.C. 20045
(202) 347-0020 * http://www.accuracy.org * ipa at accuracy.org
___________________________________________________

        PM Wednesday, January 30, 2008

        Signing Statements and Permanent Bases in Iraq

        Interviews Available

The Boston Globe reports today: "President Bush this week declared that
he has the power to bypass four laws, including a prohibition against
using federal funds to establish permanent U.S. military bases in Iraq,
that Congress passed as part of a new defense bill. Bush made the
assertion in a signing statement that he issued late Monday after
signing the National Defense Authorization Act for 2008."
http://www.boston.com/news/nation/washington/articles/2008/01/30/bush_asserts_authority_to_bypass_defense_act

The following analysts are available for interviews:

THEODORE LOWI, (607) 255-6205, (607) 277-6103, (607) 273-3592,
tjl7 at cornell.edu, http://falcon.arts.cornell.edu/Govt/faculty/Lowi.html
    Lowi is Professor of American Institutions at Cornell University and
author of several books including "The End of Liberalism." He said
today: "Congress by its silence and acquiescence to signing statements
has, in effect, legislated their approval. This puts President Bush
above accountability through congressional advocation."

JENNIFER VAN BERGEN, (352) 692-4419, jvb000 at earthlink.net,
http://www.jvbline.org,
http://rawstory.com/news/2005/CanExecutive_Branch_Decide_0923.html
    Van Bergen first broke stories about Bush's signing statements in
September of 2005. She has since written several articles on the
underlying unitary executive doctrine, including "The Unitary Executive:
Is the Doctrine Behind the Bush Presidency Consistent with a Democratic
State?" She said today: "Bush's signing statements are unlawful and
unconstitutional. The Supreme Court has ruled against line item vetoes.
Bush's signing statements are just line item vetoes in disguise. As Sen.
Carl Levin points out, 'Congress has a right to expect that the
administration will faithfully implement all of [the laws] -- not just
the ones the President happens to agree with.'" Van Bergen is author of
"The Twilight of Democracy: The Bush Plan for America."

RAED JARRAR, cell: (510) 932-0346, RJarrar at afsc.org,
http://raedinthemiddle.blogspot.com
    Currently in Washington, D.C., Jarrar, who was born and raised in
Iraq, is Iraq consultant for the American Friends Service Committee. He
said today: "This most recent presidential signing statement helps
reveal the administration's plans for maintaining permanent military
bases in Iraq. Polls conducted by World Public Opinion have found that a
majority of both the Iraqi and U.S. publics are opposed to permanent
bases, though a majority of Iraqis expected it would happen anyway. Now,
a group of U.S. and Iraqi negotiators, appointed by the two executive
branches, is drafting a bilateral agreement for bases and other
indefinite U.S. intervention in Iraq's domestic affairs.
    "This will increase violence and further destabilize the country
because it is against the will of the Iraqi public, and against the will
of the Iraqi elected officials in the parliament. Iraqis want to get
their country back from the foreign occupiers, and if they realize that
there is no way to end the occupation through nonviolent and political
resistance, more of them will turn to armed resistance."

For more information, contact at the Institute for Public Accuracy:
Sam Husseini, (202) 347-0020, (202) 421-6858; or David Zupan, (541) 484-9167
--
Yoshie
<http://montages.blogspot.com/>