Bush's prolific use of signing statements sort of shoots that argument through the temples.
The more I think about it the more likely it is that Bush has granted secret pardons. It's not as if Bush & Co. regarded what they did as any business of the electorate.
Or that the laws applied to them:
Minimum number of laws that Bush signing statements have exempted his administration from following: 1,069
I didn't know the signing statements died with Bush's presidency. They are no longer in effect.
Arf