WASHINGTON — President George Bush’s practice of writing exceptions to legislation as he signs it into law represents a violation of the constitution and a danger to democracy, America’s leading lawyers alleged yesterday. The American Bar Association, an independent lawyers’ organisation, issued a report on President Bush’s prolific use of ‘signing statements’ and found he was using them to create unconstitutional loopholes to laws passed by Congress. The ABA found that the president used signing statements to make more than 800 challenges to congressional legislation, 200 more than all previous US presidents put together. Signing statements have been issued since the nation’s founding but they have traditionally served a ceremonial function, extolling the virtues of the legislation just signed. Mr Bush has used the statements to distance himself from the laws he signs rather than veto them outright. A veto can be overruled by Congress but the legislature has so far been powerless to make the White House enforce provisions the president does not like. For example, in signing a bill last year banning the use of torture by American personnel, the president wrote that the executive branch would ‘construe’ the legislation ‘in a manner consistent’ […]