Laws Don’t Apply to Bush, According to Bush

The Boston Globe is reporting that Bush has chosen that several hundred laws don’t apply to him, including elements of the USA PATRIOT Act, immigration regulations, and others:

President Bush has quietly claimed the authority to disobey more than 750 laws enacted since he took office, asserting that he has the power to set aside any statute passed by Congress when it conflicts with his interpretation of the Constitution.

Among the laws Bush said he can ignore are military rules and regulations, affirmative-action provisions, requirements that Congress be told about immigration services problems, “whistle-blower” protections for nuclear regulatory officials, and safeguards against political interference in federally funded research.

[…]

Former administration officials contend that just because Bush reserves the right to disobey a law does not mean he is not enforcing it: In many cases, he is simply asserting his belief that a certain requirement encroaches on presidential power. […]

Well, with that out of the way, I’ve come to realize that speed limits are encroaching on my transportation throughput and shouldn’t apply to me. Oh, and FICA taxes are encroaching on my ability to frivolously purchase Take 5 bars for the periodic afternoon snack. Whew — who knew the law was so flexible?