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Flashback: Candidate Obama Promises Not to Use Presidential Signage Statements
Question: When Congress offers you a bill, do you promise not to use presidential signage to get your way?
Obama: Yes. Let me just explain for those who are unfamiliar with this issue. Uh, you know we’ve got a government designed by the founders so that there’d be checks and balances. You don’t want a president who’s too powerful or a congress who’s too powerful or a courts too powerful — everybody’s got their own role. Congress’ job is to pass legislation; the president can veto it or he can sign it. But what George Bush has been trying to do is part of his effort to accumulate more power in the presidency is he’s been saying, “Well, I can basically change what Congress passed by attaching a letter sayin’, ‘I don’t agree with this part or I don’t agree with that part; I’m gonna choose to interpret it this way or that way’” — ah, that’s not part of his power. But this is part of the whole theory of George Bush that he can make laws as he’s goin’ along. I disagree with that. I taught the Constitution for ten years. I believe in the Constitution. And I will obey the Constitution of the United States. We’re not gonna use signage statements as a way of doing an end-run around Congress. Alright?
Obama: Yes. Let me just explain for those who are unfamiliar with this issue. Uh, you know we’ve got a government designed by the founders so that there’d be checks and balances. You don’t want a president who’s too powerful or a congress who’s too powerful or a courts too powerful — everybody’s got their own role. Congress’ job is to pass legislation; the president can veto it or he can sign it. But what George Bush has been trying to do is part of his effort to accumulate more power in the presidency is he’s been saying, “Well, I can basically change what Congress passed by attaching a letter sayin’, ‘I don’t agree with this part or I don’t agree with that part; I’m gonna choose to interpret it this way or that way’” — ah, that’s not part of his power. But this is part of the whole theory of George Bush that he can make laws as he’s goin’ along. I disagree with that. I taught the Constitution for ten years. I believe in the Constitution. And I will obey the Constitution of the United States. We’re not gonna use signage statements as a way of doing an end-run around Congress. Alright?