[MEGoody]

I'll be in favor of this only if Bush can countersue Specter for being a moron.

[Dustbunny]

Spector just loves to see his name in print. He is senile.

[MinuteGal]

Hey, start emailing Sphincter after posting to the choir.

He's not going to change his mind or his spots, so it's a great opportunity to unload on this Judas.

Leni

[BulletBobCo]

Bush has issued more signing statements than all previous presidents combined. But he has never vetoed a bill, depriving Congress of any chance to override his judgment.

[shield]

HE'LL NEVER DO IT!!! He's all blow and NO go...besides he'll be ordered to stand down or or or........

[Archon of the East]

And you wonder why Santorum is in trouble with his base

[Beckwith]

Pennsylvania - some place - Spectre, Murtha and Fast Eddie Rendell - now there's a Trifecta.

[mrsmith]

"But a lawyer for the administration, Deputy Assistant Attorney General Michelle Boardman, testified ..."

"Respect for the Legislative Branch in this circumstance is not shown by the veto of an otherwise well crafted bill, but by an honest and public signing statement. Compared to vetoing a bill, giving constitutionally infirm provisions a “saving” interpretation through a signing statement gives fuller effect to the wishes of Congress by giving complete effect to the great bulk of a law’s provisions and the fullest possible effect to even constitutionally problematic provisions. This approach is not an affront to Congress. Instead, it gives effect to the well-established legal presumption that Congress did not choose to enact an unconstitutional provision. As Assistant Attorney General Dellinger explained, this practice is “analogous to the Supreme Court’s practice of construing statutes, where possible, to avoid holding them unconstitutional.” 17 Op. O.L.C. at 133. A veto, by comparison, would render all of Congress’s work a nullity, even if, as is often the case, the constitutional concerns involve relatively minor provisions of major legislation. The value of this ability to preserve legislation has grown in step with the use of large omnibus bills in the last few decades. "

http://judiciary.senate.gov/testimony.cfm?id=1969&wit_id=5479

[FreedomNeocon]

Good thing Bush threw a real conservative under the bus to REALLY campaign and stump for Specter in Nov '04.

:(

[dirtboy]

Nothing like fighting usurpation with usurpation.

[newzjunkey]

So the guy who attempted to vote in an impeachment trial based on provisions in Scottish Law, is now a defender of the Constitution? Err...

[newzjunkey]

The DOJ website features a piece on the history and use of signing statements. Highly Recommended.

[F.J. Mitchell]

Specter the defecater.

[eeriegeno]

Toomey would have never acted this way? GW and Santorum reinstated this fool and now the chickens are coming home to roost.......

[Tribune7]

ping

[monkeyshine]

What is this all about? The President can sign laws, veto them, or refuse to sign them in which case it's like a veto, right?

So if he signs them, but also writes a formal objection to provisions, what effect does this have on the law itself? Seems to me, none.

The only effect that I can think of is that agencies under the executive branch may use his statements to form policy about how it may or may not enforce any such law, which seems to be very well established practice and the prerogative of the executive as intended.

[Watery Tart]

[ladyinred]

The Magic Bullet liar strikes again.