WASHINGTON, Dec. 20, 2007
Bush Chides Congress On Earmarks
President Complains About Hundreds Of "Wasteful" Special Projects In Big Budget Bill
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President Bush speaks during a news conference, Thursday, Dec. 20, 2007, in the Brady Press Room at the White House in Washington. (AP)
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Mr. Bush, in a year-end news conference, said that a $555 billion measure passed by Congress before breaking for the holidays contains some 980 in so-called "earmarks," or projects usually benefiting only one state or congressional district.
"So I am instructing Budget Director Jim Nussle to review options for dealing with the wasteful spending in the omnibus bill," Mr. Bush said.
However, without holding line-item-veto powers, Mr. Bush's ability to block spending on specific projects appears limited.
The president did praise Congress for sending him "a spending bill to fund the day to day operations of the federal government. They passed this bill without raising taxes." But he complained that the measure was done so late in the year that it could slow the processing of tax returns to millions of Americans.
He said his administration would "work hard to minimize" such a delay.
Mr. Bush did not get specific when asked about proposals to stimulate the economy but said "we'll consider all options."
After the wide ranging news conference, CBS News chief Washington correspondent Bob Schieffer noted that Mr. Bush will have trouble getting much done ahead of the 2008 elections and that his main goal will be on the economy.
"What the president has to do is keep the economy from sliding into a recession," he said.
The Commerce Department reported Thursday that the economy sprinted ahead at its fastest pace in four years during the summer, although it is expected to limp through the final three months of this year as the housing and credit crises weigh on individuals and businesses alike.
"Like many Americans, I am concerned," Mr. Bush said. "I am concerned about the fact that Americans see their costs going up. I know Americans are concerned about whether or not their neighbor may stay in their house. So we're dealing with these issues."
Mr. Bush also said he will reserve judgment about his administration's destruction of CIA interrogation tapes until several inquiries are finished. "Let's wait and see what the facts are," he said.
The destruction in 2005 of the tapes, showing harsh interrogation treatment of two terrorism suspects, is being investigated by the Justice Department, the CIA itself and by several congressional panels.
Mr. Bush stuck to the White House line that he personally did not know about either the existence of the tapes or their destruction until he was briefed earlier this month by CIA Director Michael Hayden.
"Sounds pretty clear to me when I say I have - the first recollection is when Mike Hayden briefed me. That's pretty clear," Mr. Bush said.
He also said that he believed the ongoing investigations by his administration, "coupled with oversight provided by the Congress, will end up enabling us all to find out what has happened."
"Until these inquiries are complete, I will be rendering no opinion from the podium," Mr. Bush said.
Mr. Bush spoke cautiously about the state of democracy in Russia under President Vladimir Putin, who has tightened control of the courts and the media and maneuvered to retain power as his term ends. Putin has agreed to serve as prime minister if his protégé, Dmitry Medvedev, is elected as president as expected.
Putin was just named Time magazine's "Person of the Year" for imposing stability that restored Russia as a world power.
"I presume they put him on there because he was a consequential leader," Mr. Bush said. "And the fundamental question is, consequential to what end? What will the country look like 10 years from now? My hope, of course, is that Russia is a country that understands there needs to be checks and balances."
Mr. Bush said he hasn't talked to Putin about his serving as prime minister. "I think we better just watch and see," Bush said.
Turning to Iraq, where Mr. Bush's military buildup is generally agreed to have helped reduce violence on the ground both against U.S. forces and Iraqi citizens, Mr. Bush said work remains to be done, especially in terms of political improvements in the country.
"Are we satisfied with progress in Baghdad? No, but to say nothing is happening is not the case," Mr. Bush said. And while the government of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has come under considerable criticism from various quarters, "There is a functioning government."
Mr. Bush suggested that people were feeling better about their lives both in Iraq and Afghanistan, even though thousands of combat troops remain in both countries to provide security.
The president also:
This is Mr. Bush's second news conference this month. According to CBS News White House correspondent Mark Knoller, this will be his 40th news conference since taking office.
©MMVII, CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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- Bush complaining about wasteful spending is like Michael Jackson complaining about Kiddie-porn.
Oh no wait that was Foley''s job. - Reply to this comment
- Xlib
Ha!
You don''t want to count the number of Repubs. who have been indited for corruption in these lobbing scandals.
I do believe the Bush Admin/Repub. Congress holds the record for the greatest number of "Earmarks."
If you''re concerned about decreasing "Earmarks" vote for the Dems. they have reduced the number of "Earmarks" by 25% since they took power. - Reply to this comment
- watcher269 And just who is employed by the big biz''s?
- Reply to this comment
- Bush stood up American soldiers to take a bullet for an Iraqi in Iraq''s 1000-year-old war. Bush provided health care for those who managed a misguided war; not health care for those whose taxes paid for it. Bush read from a teleprompter, "Democracy is on the march, " democracy for a foreign country while slowly dismantling democracy in America. He thumbed his nose at America''s Congress elevating the Executive branch of American''s government similar to that of a monarchy. Bush silently opened America''s borders for an invasion of illegal border crossers; 12 million peacefully walked in. Bush ended a gentleman''s agreement to separate church and state with his faith-based-monies; American tax dollars directly deposited into the bank account of churches across America. He did all this with the support of the GOP which is embedded with evangelical religious fanatics, fanatics whose faith believe American should dismantle our Constitution to replace it with a more "bible" leaning document. American voters CAN gain back American values by voting out Republicans office holders when voting in their local and national elections.
- Reply to this comment
- Ev''rybody''s talkin'' ''bout
Bushism, Hillaryism, Obamaism, Romneyism, Huckabeeism, Edwardism
This-ism, that-ism, ism ism ism
All we are saying is give our party god a chance, All we are saying is we do not want to dance.
Ev''rybody''s talkin'' ''bout, this side, that side, their side
Has anyone seen the bride?
Ev''rybody''s talkin'' ''bout revolution, evolution
Who''s minding the store?
Where is the solution?
All we are saying is give our party god a chance, All we are saying is we do not want to dance. - Reply to this comment
- watcher269-how very 60''s of you. Now, if you do some research you will find that your party is heavily into business. Why, I do believe your party is OWNED by a multi-billionare, soros. Times have changed buddy and the dems are among the richest in the country. Let''s talk about those offshore accounts owned by the clintons.
As for working for business, do you have a job?? Are you paid by a company that makes a profit??
You libs are just idiots living in the 60''s. JFK would be disgusted at your party now. - Reply to this comment
- ALSO WHILE WE ARE AT IT THE OIL DRILLED IN ALASKA IS BEING SOLD TO THE FAR EAST AND NOT BEING SENT TO AMERICA FOR USE...
Posted by bluestardad at 06:03 AM : Dec 21, 2007
That''s because it is too high sulfer. - Reply to this comment
- REMEBER IT WAS A REPIG THAT GOT MONEY FOR THE BRIDGE TO NOWHERE IN ALASKA!
ALSO WHILE WE ARE AT IT THE OIL DRILLED IN ALASKA IS BEING SOLD TO THE FAR EAST AND NOT BEING SENT TO AMERICA FOR USE... - Reply to this comment
- I do blame congress for always caving into to this moron.
Posted by trillion1 at 05:43 AM : Dec 21, 2007
Congress talks a good fight, but they never get Bush where they want him. - Reply to this comment
- Actually, I do blame congress for always caving into to this moron. Their reward for caving in is bills so laden with pork the the bills orginal intent is a joke.
- Reply to this comment
- Posted by poopusbuttus
Posted by kesac4650
Posted by hamiltongrad
Poor suckers, almost all of you, still name calling the "party" opposite yours, while ignoring the facts.
Our people, and innocent people of at least one other country are being killed in illegal military actions that have no purpose, save the enrichment, through corruption, of all the politicians that caused, and allow their continuance.
People are dying. For nothing more than the profit of the already rich.
And the best you idiots can do is infantile name calling. There is no "left" or "right" they are all pimps, playing you suckers while they steal you and your future generations blind.
For the Bushbots, ****, strap on your guns, buy your air ticket, and go fight your own war, rather than sending others to exert your perverted will. The Iraqis may be your enemies, but more to truth, you have made yourselves theirs, but they have done nothing to me, so they are not mine.
To be fair;
Posted by CoolProphet
Posted by watcher269
Posted by sesanders1
For the anti Bushbots, ****, put on your coats, take to the streets, fire up the e-mail, get out your pens, start the boycotts, and otherwise really demonstrate your contempt for your "elected officials", and their corporate masters. They have proven themselves to be the real enemy, and I began long ago to do my little part.
Otherwise, you are all hypocrites. - Reply to this comment
- Our President''s words:
"My hope, of course, is that Russia is a country that understands there needs to be checks and balances."
No comment. - Reply to this comment
- The damage done to the American economy does not make front-page headlines every day, but the repercussions will be felt beyond the lifetime of anyone reading this page.
I can hear an irritated counterthrust already. The president has not driven the United States into a recession during his almost seven years in office. Unemployment stands at a respectable 4.6 percent. Well, fine. But the other side of the ledger groans with distress: a tax code that has become hideously biased in favor of the rich; a national debt that will probably have grown 70 percent by the time this president leaves Washington; a swelling cascade of mortgage defaults; a record near-$850 billion trade deficit; oil prices that are higher than they have ever been; and a dollar so weak that for an American to buy a cup of coffee in London or Paris-or even the Yukon-becomes a venture in high finance.
And it gets worse. After almost seven years of this president, the United States is less prepared than ever to face the future. We have not been educating enough engineers and scientists, people with the skills we will need to compete with China and India. We have not been investing in the kinds of basic research that made us the technological powerhouse of the late 20th century. And although the president now understands-or so he says-that we must begin to wean ourselves from oil and coal, we have on his watch become more deeply dependent on both. - Reply to this comment
- I say it is time to make the Republican party illegal - they do nothing for the american people! They work for businesses - and they don''t care for Americans either!
- Reply to this comment
- Iraq is a disastrous quagmire requiring a huge investment in resources and personnel just to keep the place from imploding. This means that we will have to stay many years just to maintain even the slightest semblance of order. As soon as traffic is allowed to move again, there will be more car bombings and more chaos. To claim that the surge is a success is overstating what is really going on in Iraq. There is no normalcy...they don''t even have reliable electricity! What a lie to claim anything more than we are just keeping the lid on a boiling kettle!
It is infuriating to think that this arrogant bungler got America into this disaster. It is the sorriest leadership I have ever witnessed and I have been around a long time! - Reply to this comment
- Any pork going to America probably drives Bush and his "China foreign investment buddies" crazy.
- Reply to this comment
- this guy is a true conservative and the establishment is deathly afraid of him because he is coming through slashing like never before in a last ditch attempt to return our republic google ron paul 08
- Reply to this comment
- THEY DON''T CALL HIM "DOCTOR NO" FOR NO REASON
Congressman, Paul never votes for any Bill which he feels is not authorized by The Constitution, regardless of what it might be named. He feels most Laws should be made at the local or State level: the way our Founders intended. We are a Republic, and we have plenty of State lawmakers who are more than willing to make Laws which best serve their constituents. "Ron Paul is one of the easiest people in Congress to work with, because he bases his positions on the merits of issues," says Barney Frank, who has worked with Paul on efforts to ease the regulation of gambling and medical marijuana. "He is independent, but not ornery." Paul has made a habit of objecting to things that no one else objects to. In 2001, he was one of only three House Republicans to vote against the USA Patriot Act. He was the sole House member of either party to vote against the Financial Antiterrorism Act. In 1999, he was the only naysayer in a vote in favor of casting a medal to honor Rosa Parks. Nothing against Rosa Parks. Paul also voted against similar medals for Reagan and Pope John Paul II. He did, however, offer $100 of his own money to help pay for Reagan''s medal, and invited others in Congress to match his offer, but not one Member took him-up on it. Instead, Congress spent YOUR money. He not only routinely opposes resolutions that are unconstitutional, he votes against Bills which presume to advise foreign governments how to run their affairs. - Reply to this comment
- Just like all the Democrats who hollered that we need more troops in Iraq, fought the surge, as soon as it was announced. Why is that?
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Posted by kesac4650
Because all the Democrats are sham artists. - Reply to this comment
- all thes pretenders telling us that Reaganomics didn''t work, don''t remember the Jimmy Carter years.
Jimmy Carter gave us 10+% inflation. 10 % unemployment, and interest rates on cars and housing, approaching 20%.
Reagan cured that by taking a page out of FDR''s and JFK''s playbooks. Those tax cuts have always been traditional Democrat things to do. They have always worked, but as soon as Reagan and Bush did the same thing, every Democrat in America ran screaming hysterically that it won''t work.
Why is that?
Just like all the Democrats who hollered that we need more troops in Iraq, fought the surge, as soon as it was announced. Why is that? - Reply to this comment
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