President Bush Expands Executive Power...Again

Repudiated by voters, President Bush turned to an executive order to increase his control of federal agencies and the actions they take.  Particularly targeting the EPA and OSHA, the President's directive will require all agencies to submit important guidance documents to a Bush political appointee, prior to publication.  That means the Bush Administration practice of having hacks protect favored industries is now codified:

Peter L. Strauss, a professor at Columbia Law School, said the executive order “achieves a major increase in White House control over domestic government.”

“Having lost control of Congress,” Mr. Strauss said, “the president is doing what he can to increase his control of the executive branch.”

Representative Henry A. Waxman, Democrat of California and chairman of the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, said: “The executive order allows the political staff at the White House to dictate decisions on health and safety issues, even if the government’s own impartial experts disagree. This is a terrible way to govern, but great news for special interests.”