• Home
• Post-Viewing Activity and Discussion Questions
• Lesson Plan
  • "Signing Statements: The Expansion of Presidential Power"
  • Student Handout: Viewing Questions -- Video Chapter: "The Battle of the Lawyers"
  • Student Handout: What To Do? -- Scenario A -- Interrogation of Enemy Combatants
  • Student Handout: What To Do? -- Scenario B -- Domestic Surveillance
• Additional Lesson Ideas
  • Differing Viewpoints
  • Presidential Power in Times of Crisis -- A History
  • Developing Your Own "Themes & Analysis"
• Additional Resources
• Printable .pdf of entire guide
  (Adobe Acrobat required)

Additional Resources

A Note about Internet Resources
Students need to be aware that Web sites sometimes only present one view of an issue. Encourage them to think about Web sites even as they are reading. Guiding questions as they review Web sites are: What did you learn from this site? What didn't you learn from this site? Who sponsors this site? What bias might the sponsor have? How current is the site?

WEB SITES

FRONTLINE: Cheney's Law
http://www.pbs.org/frontline/cheney
The companion Web site to the documentary features extended interviews, on-demand video streaming of the full program, themes and analysis, and annotated links.

The Torture Question: Teacher's Guide
http://www.pbs.org/frontline/teach/torture
Use this teacher's guide, a companion to FRONTLINE's 2005 film The Torture Question, to find more information and lesson plans on the subject of torture and the Bush administration's policies.

The Enemy Within
http://www.pbs.org/frontline/teach/enemywithin/
The teacher's guide for FRONTLINE's 2006 film The Enemy Within provides opportunities for students to explore domestic counterterrorism initiatives.

Boston Globe Articles on Presidential Signing Statements
http://www.boston.com/news/specials/savage_signing_statements
Boston Globe reporter Charlie Savage received the 2007 Pulitzer Prize for this series of articles uncovering President Bush's extensive use of signing statements to bypass provisions in congressional law.

Reinterpreting Torture: Presidential Signing Statements and the Circumvention of U.S. and International Law
http://www.wcl.american.edu/hrbrief/14/1palmer.pdf?rd=1
This is an academic article by Erin Louise Palmer, J.D./M.A. candidate at the American University Washington College of Law and School of International Service, printed in the Jan. 11, 2007 Human Rights Brief. It covers the history of signing statements, dating all the way back to President James Monroe, explains the constitutional justification for the use of signing statements, and critically analyzes President Bush's use of signing statements.