Bush Wants Line-Item Veto to Be Revived

[Khephra]

WASHINGTON -- Six years after the Supreme Court took away the president's ability to veto specific parts of legislation, President Bush is asking Congress to bring back the line-item veto to let him make precision strikes against projects and tax provisions he doesn't like.

At a news conference after his re-election, Bush said he wanted a line-item veto that "passed constitutional muster," explaining it would help him work with lawmakers "to make sure that we're able to maintain budget discipline."

Presidents have been saying similar words since the first line-item veto proposal was introduced in the 1870s. It wasn't until 1996, when the new Republican majority in the House made the tool part of its "Contract With America," that Congress responded.

President Clinton happily signed the legislation, and in 1997 he used his new power 82 times to negate specific projects in larger spending bills. Congress overrode his veto 38 times, although it still resulted in savings of almost $2 billion.

http://www.newsday.com/news/politics/wire/sns-ap-second-term-line-item-veto,0,1004226.story?coll=sns-ap-politics-headlines

[skooooo]

1. Duh

Kind of hard to do since the SC declared it unconstitutional.

[da_chimperor]

2. He didn't get that memo

Or he DID, but he didn't read it. What a moran . . .

[Frumious B]

4. Don't flame me...

But I actually think that a Constitutional amendment granting the President a line/item veto and also mandating a balanced federal budget would be a fantastic idea no matter what party originates it. There's no way the Founding Fathers could have envisioned the massive, pork laden spending bills that we have today.

[skooooo]

6. Pork-laden spending bills...

...pay for a lot of things people want and need.

[gWbush is Mabus]

7. Here's what will happen...........................................

Democrats will agree to $100 trillion in tax cuts for the rich
if the Republicans agree to spend an extra $1million on education.

Then when Bush goes to sign it, he just crossed out the line with the education funding.


wallahhh.

[havocmom]

13. Exactly. Rove/Cheney realised some DEMS might have grown spines

and they are not taking any chances.

[underpants]

5. The SC only did that because Clinton DARED to use it

See the Repubs think it is only for their guys to use that is why they want to revive it again. When the Dems win in 2008 some RW job will challenge it and it will be ruled unconstitutional again.

[rockymountaindem]

3. A likely story...

if he'd vetoed a single spending bill during his past 4 years, this might have more credibility.

[MsUnderstood]

10. Bingo

Bush is just trying to cover the fact that HE DOES NOT VETO ANYTHING by saying "if I had a line item veto, I could review items".

Well, you have to take the stamp out of your hand and open your eyes to read the items before you in order to veto anything.

[havocmom]

15. Review things? The chimp? His daily briefings don't get reviewed

or he would have single handedly wrestled control of those planes from the hijackers on 9-11 </sarcasm>

[Evergreen Emerald]

8. We can't give him any more power

My god! Bush needs LESS power, not more! Next he will attempt to amend the constitution to allow for a six-term president!

[Greylyn58]

12. Cheney Has Already

brought that subject up in an Esquire magazine article that is coming out. He wants Bush to have 8 years instead of 4.

GOD...could you imagine!

:mad:

[74dodgedart]

9. We need to do something about the budgeting process

Maybe if Bush would veto a spending bill every now and then...

[Triana]

11. I'm sure the Dems will be happy to just roll over...

...and let him have that, too. Hopefully since the SC declared it unconstitutional, there will be nothing he can do but the SC being the partisan bu$h butt-kissing useless kangaroo court they are, he'll probably get it - along with anything else he asks them to do. I notice bu$h has been doing a lot of 'asking the supreme court' to do this or that lately. His arrogant ass acts like he thinks they are there specifically to do HIS bidding. They are his American Taliban...

[AzDar]

14. Bush and "budget discipline"?... Oh please. Another power grab

by the poser-in-chief initiated under false pretenses. It's becoming
rather Orwellian.....