Electric Monkey Pants

The last thing we want to do is give this asshole more power!

Bush said a line-item veto would reduce the incentive for Congress to spend wastefully because lawmakers would be less likely to slip pet projects into large spending bills if they knew they could be held up to public scrutiny.

“A line-item veto would give the president a way to insist on greater discipline in the budget,” Bush said.

The measure must still pass the Senate, and that’s by no means a certainty.

Democrats generally oppose the measure. And not all Republicans are excited about the idea, although some embrace it as a way to demonstrate election-year resolve to rein in federal spending.

Lawmakers from both parties who have reservations about the line-item veto contend it shifts too much power to the president, allowing him to try to cut projects proposed by his political enemies, or to use the threat of cutting projects in exchange for favorable votes on legislation the White House desires.

Yeah, and I’m sure the White House would never think of using that power against political enemies or as a sort of tit-for-tat! Never! ‘Cause this administration is sooooo trustworthy! [/sarcasm]

Wasn’t this already declared unconstitutional anyway? I guess the neocons figure they’ve sufficiently packed the Supreme Court with fascist toadies to get away with this. They might be right, so let’s hope it doesn’t pass the Senate.