Thursday, July 06, 2006

SIGNING STATEMENTS AND OTHER OFFENSES

by Anne G. Davies


Bush loves to invoke the signing statement
Forcing congressional power abatement.
He views his Executive rule as royal
Obviating legislative toil.
Why should two branches be involved
When he and Cheney have it all solved?
He's the Decider and he will decide
By which parts of the law he will abide.

To our surprise, enter Arlen Specter
Never known for a leftward vector
Incensed at Presidential dismissiveness,
Causing inter-branch divisiveness.
He accuses Bush of usurpations
That defy Executive limitations;
Of running the country like a feudal fiefdom
Orchestrated by an absolute chiefdom.
(Will Specter show the same brutal skill
That blew away Anita Hill?)

Now that the Court's rapped Dubbya's knuckles
We'll see if our Bush league Caesar buckles
And yields with grace to the Justices' bidding
Or tries to pretend they were merely kidding.
And while he continues his covert crimes,
He'll blame all mishaps on the New York Times.


Anne G. Davies is a fund-raising writer by profession and a writer and versifier by avocation. Her work has been published on local and regional papers. She lives in Lexington, Massachusetts.