McCain Defends Line-Item Veto

Republican Says Giuliani's Role In Lawsuit Shows He's Not A Fiscal Conservative

(AP)  Republican presidential candidate John McCain on Friday renewed his call for a presidential line-item veto and criticized rival Rudy Giuliani for his part in a lawsuit that led the Supreme Court to deem the veto unconstitutional.

McCain said the veto legislation struck down by the court wasn't properly written to withstand constitutional muster. The court ruling came after then-President Clinton used the line-item veto to block a New York tax increase, prompting Giuliani - then mayor of New York - to file a lawsuit.

“I am deeply disappointed that Mayor Giuliani went to court to stop the president having a line-item veto so apparently he could preserve some of the projects for New York City,” McCain said. “You can't be an economic conservative and in favor of fiscal discipline if you oppose the line-item veto.”

In response, Giuliani spokesman Jarrod Agen said the former mayor “has committed to propose a constitutional amendment establishing presidential line-item veto. The mayor is a strict constructionist and the Supreme Court ruled the line-item veto is unconstitutional.”

McCain also lashed out against wasteful spending by Congress as he campaigned in a tiny southeast Iowa town that claims to be the birthplace of the GOP.

“Members of our party should remember the principles upon which our party was founded, and one of those principles was careful stewardship of the taxpayers' dollar, which we have lost complete control of,” McCain said.

Taking questions from reporters as locals looked on, McCain said maybe his colleagues “should come back here to Crawfordsville and remember what our party is supposed to be all about, and that's not through profligate spending and earmarking and pork barrel projects.”

McCain criticized congressional earmarking, saying it wastes billions of dollars on projects such as the infamous $398 million bridge to nowhere in Alaska. McCain also included Iowa's proposed Earthpark near Pella, which has received a $50 million federal grant to pay for an attraction featuring an indoor rain forest.

McCain also plans to tell a New Hampshire Republican State Committee meeting on Saturday the differences between Republicans and Democrats on national security remain as strong as they were during the Reagan years, and Republicans remain the better party to protect the United States.

“Today, leading Democratic presidential candidates question whether there is a war on terror, offer to enter into unconditional negotiations with our worst enemies and talk about countering the forces of radicalism by advocating surrender to them in Iraq,” McCain said in prepared remarks obtained by The Associated Press

McCain cites Reagan's “Shining City Upon a Hill” speech, in which then-California Gov. Ronald Reagan called the United States “the last best hope of man on earth.”

But unlike then, the United States doesn't face the organized threat of a Cold War. Instead, it faces what McCain has called a perverted form of Islam.

“The world Ronald Reagan faced was a dangerous one, but more stable than the world today. It was a world where we confronted a massive, organized threat to our security,” he said. “That world is gone, and please don't mistake my reminiscence as an indication that I miss it. That world, after all, had much cruelty and terror, some of which it was my fate to witness personally.”

[speakinup]

"Why is he even bothering to hang around? He''s a senile old man and is becoming an embarrassment. If there is anyone around him who actually cares about him then they''''''''d talk him into resigning, going back to his nursing home in Sun City, getting his diapers changed and then lay him down for his afternoon nap....after his cup of pudding of course. Go away John, you''ve become a joke..... SgtRDS

On his worst day SgtRDS, he makes you look like the piece of far left liberal k-rap you are.

If I were a democrat, I wouldn''t express an opinion on which Dem Candidate out there was best - I''d wait until one candidate emerged as the front runner, then pretend I''d been supporting that candidate all along, like the sniveling, gutless little American-hater I would be, if I were a democrat.

[starleo146]

Why is he even bothering to hang around? He''''s a senile old man and is becoming an embarrassment. If there is anyone around him who actually cares about him then they''''d talk him into resigning, going back to his nursing home in Sun City, getting his diapers changed and then lay him down for his afternoon nap....after his cup of pudding of course. Go away John, you''''ve become a joke.....

Posted by SgtRDS at 12:48 PM : Oct 13, 2007
+ repor

I agree with you about McCain, we are trying to figure what Bush has been doing with the passage of bills he wants to put in his words and makes these adjustments sort to speak. I hope the supreme court ruling goes against this

[abbe91]

"AaaBee, When Congress passes legislature, and the president signs it but makes notes an deletes parts he doesn''''t agree with, I read isn''''t he in fact practicing that very thing. I ask you this because of your intelligent posts and I feel you will understand what I read Pres Bush was in fact doing his own adjustments to these bills am I wrong?
Posted by starleo146 at 11:01 AM : Oct 14, 2007"

I agree with you about the signing statements, but why to make it official ? It is not clear, from what I understood, what these signing statements are worth.
We can get tomorrow (so to speak), a supreme court saying that they can just be ignored. Not a line item veto ...

[starleo146]

The Supreme Court believes that Congressional Representatives who haven''''t even won a statewide
vote should be able to hold the national budget hostage to their favorite pork projects.

Posted by realpatriot1 at 11:10 AM : Oct 13, 2007

I, after this President and his use of power, believe the line item veto to block earmarks, and line it out is good, but I am convinced a Pres. would use this to benefit him, and his policies, and would be against it.Goodness if we had the line item veto, and another Pres. such as we have today, can you just imagine what he would do with the line item veto.

[starleo146]

The problem with line item veto is that Bush would use it, not to cut a line, but to cut in the middle of a line. If it was just to remove earmarks, ok, but what about "I keep the funding, but not the timetable".

Posted by abbe91 at 10:04 AM : Oct 14, 2007


AaaBee, When Congress passes legislature, and the president signs it but makes notes an deletes parts he doesn''t agree with, I read isn''t he in fact practicing that very thing. I ask you this because of your intelligent posts and I feel you will understand what I read Pres Bush was in fact doing his own adjustments to these bills am I wrong?

[abbe91]

"To top it all, it was the Republican-controlled Supreme Court that decided that Congress shouldn''''t voluntarily grant the President this power.
Posted by realpatriot1 at 11:10 AM : Oct 13, 2007"

The problem with line item veto is that Bush would use it, not to cut a line, but to cut in the middle of a line. If it was just to remove earmarks, ok, but what about "I keep the funding, but not the timetable".

[sgtrds]

Why is he even bothering to hang around? He''s a senile old man and is becoming an embarrassment. If there is anyone around him who actually cares about him then they''d talk him into resigning, going back to his nursing home in Sun City, getting his diapers changed and then lay him down for his afternoon nap....after his cup of pudding of course. Go away John, you''ve become a joke.....

[realpatriot1]

kansas1946,

To top it all, it was the Republican-controlled Supreme Court that decided that Congress shouldn''t voluntarily grant the President this power.

The Supreme Court believes that Congressional Representatives who haven''t even won a statewide
vote should be able to hold the national budget hostage to their favorite pork projects.

[kansas1946]

The court ruling came after then-President Clinton used the line-item veto to block a New York tax increase, prompting Giuliani - then mayor of New York - to file a lawsuit.
******************************
Oh, my God. Did you get this folks. All you conservatives. Clinton (the evil liberal) blocking a
tax, and Giuliani (God''s chosen conservative) filing a law suit. Man, it is tough to be a Republican these days. Especially when the Democrats look SO much more conservative.

[likeitis5050]

The bill to stop earmarks passed, we thought, until it came time to actually put it into play and then we find out there was a ''provision'' that exempted the very thing it was intended to do..stop the pork spending. Nothing has changed. This is what Congress does best.

[cfin5]

I agree with Senator McCain''s position on the line item veto. When his fellows (and maybe himself) slip things into a certain bill that is totally unrelated, fire up the veto pen! Unethical treatment of the lawmaking process deserves the correct check and balance veto pen treatment!