Bar Association Says Bush Flouting Rule of Law

A bi-partisan panel of the American Bar Association has faulted the Bush administration for flouting the Constitution and undermining the rule of law when he claims to have power to disregard provisions of the laws that he signs.

The panel cited precedent going back to the seventeenth century:

The issue has deep historical roots, the panel said, noting that Parliament had condemned King James II for nonenforcement of certain laws in the 17th century. The panel quoted the English Bill of Rights: "The pretended power of suspending of laws, or the execution of laws, by regal authority, without consent of Parliament, is illegal."