Your guesstimates are correc. The Dems are already howling that they don't much like this Bill as it stands ! Once the DC wipes out the unConstirurional parts, they'l like it even less !
Bush's signing the Bill, removes entirely , the ability of his opponents to hang him on vetoing / stoping it. It's a knife in their backs ; a double whammy.
Good morning, been a while since we chatted. I have to question your "double whammy" statement. I think it is a really dangerous move for the President to sign this bill and hope that the SC invalidates any part or all of it. This is because the demos are already going to do anything they can to block any SC nominations that President Bush makes. They just don't want another conservative on the bench. Forcing the SC to rule on this will just provide more fuel to the fire. I can hear them now:
"Just look at what they did to the election, just look how they destroyed that wonderful CFR that we all knew would solve the world's problems, just think how terrible it will be if there are more CONSERVATIVES onthe court!!! Don't forget, it is a life time appoint and al gore will never be able to change it". It doesn't matter how bad they think the bill is now, once the court starts tearing it apart it will become the single most important piece of legislation ever to have been created, or so they will say. Don't forget that they believe that soft money propelled GWB in the election, Without it, the SC would have never needed to have "selected" our new President.
The single best thing President Bush could do tomorrow is to tear the document in two and through it into the trash on national television.