C060323d No Veto Presidency

This week President Bush became the second longest serving
president not to use his veto authority. Only Thomas Jefferson,
nearly two hundred years ago, went longer. With less than 5% of all
Presidential vetoes throughout our history being overridden by
Congress, the veto is a powerful tool to control spending abuse and
other silliness contrived by Congress. Why hasn't President Bush
used it?

The new presidency by campaign strategy orchestrated by Mr. Rove
has produced this result, which has damaged both the Republican-
controlled Congress and President Bush. It's good politics for Congress
to be able to say that we wanted to pass this program or that program,
but the President wouldn't allow it. The feel good presidency of Mr.
Rove is the weakened presidency we now see. More than 2 ½ years
remain in his second term and President Bush is an afterthought for
most non-leadership members of Congress. No one will take him
seriously about reducing the gigantic growth rate in discretionary
spending that his administration has allowed to happen. He accepts it.
The do-it-for-the-party spending spree drummed into the President's
head by Mr. Rove has made a lot of independents, young Republicans,
and Reagan Democrats forget why they wanted Republicans to take
control of Congress.

President Bush said on March 22 that the veto threat has helped him reduce the rate of domestic spending:
"One reason why I haven't vetoed any appropriation bills is because they met the benchmarks we've set." Just
open the doors and let the Democrat controlled House of Representatives come on in! Next year at this time
we'll see how the President feels about bargaining with Democrats in the majority. His comfortable 6 year
sleigh ride up Capitol Hill will be over and his last 2 years will be more like his bumpy bike rides through
Maryland and Texas.