QandO

August 03, 2004

Constitutional, Shmonstitutional
Posted by Jon Henke

John Kerry, in his acceptance speech...

...I will appoint an Attorney General who actually upholds the Constitution of the United States. [...] ...let's never misuse for political purposes the most precious document in American history, the Constitution of the United States.

Kerry promises to pay for all new government programs and cut the federal deficit in half in four years. To do that, he wants the power to veto individual spending decisions made by Congress and enforce budget caps with automatic spending cuts.

Further points:

• John Kerry wants to implement "Constitutional Line-Item Veto Power", which will differ from the unconstitutional version, because...well, he doesn't say. What he does describe remains exactly the same process thrown out by the Supreme Court in 1996.
• When Bush made noise about bringing back the Line Item Veto earlier this year, the response was...er, underwhelming...
  

  Sen. Robert Byrd (D-W.Va.), who challenged the previous law but was denied standing in court, last week indicated that he opposes Congress’s giving away its power to spend. [...] Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), now House minority leader, opposed [the 1996 line-item veto]

  One wonders if they will find themselves persuaded of the value of a line-item veto under a President Kerry.

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