Here is a specific example of how presidential signing statements — a way for U.S. presidents to avoid the responsibility of meeting the stated aims of laws passed by Congress — work in real life.  Following the passage of a Senate amendment restricting torture sponsored by John McCain and Lindsay Graham, President Bush issued an accompanying “signing statement” in the form of an e-mail message that said in part:

The administration will interpret McCain's amendment “in a manner consistent with the constitutional authority of the president to supervise the unitary executive branch and as commander in chief and consistent with the constitutional limitations on judicial power.”

We drew this quotation from Elizabeth Bumiller, “For President, Final Say on a Bill Sometimes Comes After the Signing,” New York Times, January 16, 2006.