I don't get it either...vetoing this garbage legislation seems like a win-win deal. He vetoes and takes the Constitutional high ground...if the veto is reversed and the Supreme Court tosses the law out, Bush looks like a principled Constitutional scholar. I don't get it.
It would appear GW was born without a spine.
It would not be possible to override his veto because to do so requires 2/3 of the Senate. The bill would most likely only be killed temporarily (until the next clinton-type administration rolls in). SCOTUS will throw this POS bill out. This has to go to the SCOTUS while the SCOTUS is relatively conservative!! If W. pushed this off toteh next administration, the makeup of SCOTUS may be different (meaning worse).
Bush could have vetoed it, but it would remain a Dem talking point going into this year's election cycle. Now it is not. Additionally, very few people are really aware of the free speech stomping CFR has because the major media outlets (who incidentally aren't affected through editorials) haven't played this up as a restriction on speech. Instead, they have been addressing this as "taking paid speech out of campaigns". Most Americans (both libs and conservatives) are unaware of this.
By signing this bill into law, Bush allowed it to go the court system, and his solicitor general has to defend it (hmmm). While the whole bill probably won't be struck down, I predict the speech prohibition part will be.
If the soft money ban remains, it's a conservative win since the Dems finally caught up with Repubs in the last election cycle in soft money contributions. The hard money limit increase works for the Repubs since they have a larger base of contributors who can max it out.