Obama to Democrats: Do as we say not as we do but do not do as we do not do unless we do.

Nothing Bush did was acceptable to Democrats, even if they had signed on, and or helped to create / develop the idea/bill (such as the Education bill written by Edward Moore Kennedy). We had 8 years of attacking Bush for everything, with a brief political respite for a few weeks after September 11 (and even then it was tempered).

The imperial presidency. Obama attacked Bush, as did all the Democrats.

Until he won ...



Democrats challenge Obama signing statement

Jul 21, 2009
By ANNE FLAHERTY
Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) - Congressional Democrats warned President Barack Obama on Tuesday that he sounded too much like George W. Bush when he declared this summer that the White House can ignore legislation he thinks oversteps the Constitution.

In a letter to the president, four senior House members said they were "surprised" and "chagrin ed" by Obama's statement in June accompanying a war spending bill that he would ignore restrictions placed on aid provided to the World Bank and International Monetary Fund.

Obama said he wouldn't allow the provisions to interfere with his authority as president to conduct foreign policy and negotiate with other governments.

The rebuff was reminiscent of Bush, who issued a record number of "signing statements" while in office. The statements put Congress on notice that the administration didn't feel compelled to comply with provisions of legislation that it felt challenged the president's authority as commander in chief.

Democrats, including Obama, sharply criticized Bush for his reliance on the statements. Obama said he would use them sparingly and only if authorized by the attorney general.

"During the previous administration, all of us were critical of the president's assertion that he could pick and choose which aspects of congressional statutes he was required to enforce," the lawmakers wrote. "We were therefore chagrined to see you appear to express a similar attitude."

The letter was signed by Reps. David Obey of Wisconsin, chairman of the House Appropriations Committee and Barney Frank of Massachusetts, chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, as well as Reps. Nita Lowey and Gregory Meeks, both of New York, who chair subcommittees on those panels.

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.










Obama