Prometheus 6 points out that Bush is seeking a line-item veto with specific wording that he believes will withstand a court challenge. P6 is against the idea but I’m a bit more open-minded.

I would like to see a line-item veto bill with a sunset clause that required it be renewed every 10 years. That would cross presidential election boundaries and would let us weigh its usefulness every decade.

The fact that a Republican congress granted this power to a Democratic president (before the Supreme Court struck it down) makes me believe they really thought it would be a good idea. I can certainly see the benefit of having some way to eliminate pork. Can you say $500,000,000 bridges to nowhere?

Yes, I have a great fear that it would be abused, which is why it should be limited in scope to only apply to budget bills. And if it doesn’t work out, hey, it won’t last much longer than Bush’s presidency and it would certainly cause a lot less harm.

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