Boston Globe: Bush announces he will not necessarily obey new torture law

His astonishing dictatorial hubris continues: "When President Bush last week signed the bill outlawing the torture of detainees, he quietly reserved the right to bypass the law under his powers as commander in chief.

After approving the bill last Friday, Bush issued a 'signing statement' --- an official document in which a president lays out his interpretation of a new law --- declaring that he will view the interrogation limits in the context of his broader powers to protect national security. This means Bush believes he can waive the restrictions, the White House and legal specialists said.

'The executive branch shall construe the law in a manner consistent with the constitutional authority of the President ... as Commander in Chief,' Bush wrote, adding that this approach 'will assist in achieving the shared objective of the Congress and the President ... of protecting the American people from further terrorist attacks.'

Some legal specialists said Tuesday that the president's signing statement, which was posted on the White House Web site but had gone unnoticed over the New Year's weekend, raises serious questions about whether he intends to follow the law.

A senior administration official, who spoke to a Globe reporter about the statement on condition of anonymity because he is not an official spokesman, said the president intended to reserve the right to use harsher methods in special situations involving national security."