CRAWFORD, Texas (AP) — President Bush on Friday used a "pocket veto" to reject a sweeping defense bill because he dislikes a provision that would expose the Iraqi government to expensive lawsuits seeking damages from the Saddam Hussein era.
In a statement, Bush said the legislation "would imperil billions of dollars of Iraqi assets at a crucial juncture in that nation's reconstruction efforts."
A Democratic congressional aide pointed out that a pocket veto cannot be overridden by Congress and allows Bush to distance himself from the rejection of a major Pentagon bill in a time of war.
In a message to Congress, the president said he was sending the bill and his outline of objections to the House clerk "to avoid unnecessary litigation about the non-enactment of the bill that results from my withholding approval, and to leave no doubt that the bill is being vetoed."
In other words, Bush is claiming a right that the Constitution explicitly deems only exists unless Congress is not in session, even though Congress actually is in session.
Slick sumabitch aint he?
Related Post: http://www.openleft.com/showDiary.do?diaryId=2960
Read More ^
Dec 30, 2007
Bush announces pocket veto of defense bill
Oct 18, 2007
House Fails to Override Veto of Children's Health Bill
WASHINGTON, Oct. 18 — Supporters of a bill to provide health insurance for 10 million children failed this afternoon, as expected, to muster enough support in the House to override President Bush’s veto.
The vote to override the veto was 273 to 156, or 13 votes short of the necessary two-thirds majority of those present and voting; the bill was originally approved by a 265 to 159 vote on Sept. 25.
The main suspense before today’s vote was over how many Republicans would side against President Bush. Forty-four House Republicans voted for the bill today, compared to 45 on Sept. 25.
Democrats had anticipated defeat, and Senator Harry Reid of Nevada, the Senate majority leader, immediately issued an angry statement.
“Each Republican who voted to uphold President Bush’s heartless veto should be embarrassed that he chose to stand in the way of improving the lives of millions of America’s poorest children,” Mr. Reid said. “While we appreciate those who voted to override his veto, there unfortunately remain too many who are all too willing to rubber-stamp President Bush’s shameful policies and succumb to his misinformation campaign.”
Most of the Democratic leadership has shown little inclination to negotiate with the White House, beyond offering to make “tweaks” in the State Children’s Health Insurance Program so the president could “save face,” Mr. Reid put it recently. Democrats in Congress said Wednesday that they would pass a new bill, but were willing to adjust it to address some White House concerns.
Mr. Bush had seemed confident that the
Read More:http://www.nytimes.com/?emc=na
Oct 6, 2007
Overriding the President
Medical News Today
Fri, 05 Oct 2007 6:28 AM PDT
The House on Wednesday won a procedural vote that allowed them to postpone until Oct. 18 a vote to override a veto of legislation that would reauthorize and expand SCHIP, CQ Today reports. President Bush vetoed the bill on Wednesday.
Read More...Democratic Leaders Schedule SCHIP Legislation Vote For Oct. 18 In Hopes Of Overriding President Bush's Veto
Oct 3, 2007
Today the president showed the nation his true priorities
This is a new low even for our un-president the veto is "cruel" and "heartless."
The measure would have provided an extra $35 billion over five years for a health program for low-income children. Cigarette taxes would have been raised to fund the expansion from the current $25 billion level.
"Today the president showed the nation his true priorities: $700 billion for a war in Iraq, but no health care for low-income kids," added Rep. Rahm Emanuel, an Illinois Democrat. "Millions of American children and their families won't forget that they are on the bottom of the president's priority list."
This is only one of Four Vetoes for Bush -
1. Stem Cell Research:
According to the Pew Research Center, a nonpartisan polling organization that tracks the issue, roughly two-thirds of all Democrats and independents favor embryonic stem cell research, while nearly half of all Republicans do.
2. Partial Withdrawal from Iraq:
Most Americans disagree with President Bush’s decision last week to veto the war funding bill that contained a timetable for withdrawal from Iraq.
3. Stem Cell Research, again: Poll
Americans by a 2-1 margin support stem cell research and say it should be funded by the federal government, despite controversy over its use of human embryos.
4. Children’s Health Insurance:
The veto is a bit of a high-stakes gambit for Bush, pitting him against both the Democrats who have controlled both houses of Congress since January, but also many members of his own party and the public.
Source: The Seminal
Not surprisingly, Bush continues to be out of touch with the will of the People. He is willing to spend $700 Billion for a War that will kill thousands but unwilling to spend $60 Billion to save lives. This is unacceptable and intolerable but when you are more concerned about your Party then you are with your people how could one expect anything less?
