WASHINGTON: The powerful American Bar Association charged president George Bush with flouting the constitution and undermining the rule of the law by assuming power to disregard selected provisions of bills he signs.

An 11-member bipartisan panel of the bar association said in a report that Bush had used the provision of "signing statements" far more than his predecessors, raising constitutional objections to over 800 provisions in more than 100 laws as they infringed on his prerogatives.

The panel said these uses of power by the president amounted to "veto" and deprived the Congress of the opportunity to override the veto.

A signing statement is a statement attached to a legislative bill when the president signs it to make it a law. Usually, such statements pertain to instructions to law enforcing agencies on how to use the law.

The panel cited laws relating to ban on torture and other national security laws, where Bush had, through the signing statements, reserved the right to disregard them.