Line Item Veto

McCain has stated in the most recent presidential debate that if elected, he would support a line-item veto. This is a blatant political move and aside from being completely unconstitutional, it goes against the power of Congress to pass laws, inhibiting their ability to create laws with the will of the people.

A president's power to veto bills comes from this line in the Constitution:

" Every Order, Resolution, or Vote to which the Concurrence of the Senate and House of Representatives may be necessary (except on a question of Adjournment) shall be presented to the President of the United States; and before the Same shall take Effect, shall be approved by him, or being disapproved by him, shall be repassed by two thirds of the Senate and House of Representatives, according to the Rules and Limitations prescribed in the Case of a Bill."

A line-item veto is neither a full passage of a bill into law, or a full veto that goes back to Congress. The President using line-item veto choses parts of a bill to pass, and parts to veto. The "vetoed" sections of the bill usually go back to Congress. President Bill Clinton used it heavily with the passage of the Line Item Veto Act of 1996, but it was struck down by the Supreme Court two years later, voted unconstitutional by a 6-3 vote.

If McCain were presented with a bill, passed by a Democratic majority, which included previsions that he didn't care for, by his standards, he could pick and chose the potions of the bill he liked. The is obviously a political move. If, in order to get the bill through the House (for example), Democrats had to add a provision for Republicans, McCain could, theoretically, veto every portion of the bill except for that from his party. But of course, he is a maverick, who "has the scars to prove" that he continually goes against his party! So! Whose decision really governs here? It is now McCain's sole responsibility to decide what laws would be good for our country. Does it scare anyone, that McCain thinks Presidential Supremacy is so high that he and only he can decide what laws should be passed in this country? Won't he have to work with Congress to get any of his proposed spending cuts, government programs or tax cuts passed? Or can he do it all by himself? Can John McCain the maverick write laws, pass laws, sign bills into law, and fix up Joe the Plumber with a nice new mortgage all by himself? Last time I checked, he only had the power to do one of those things. And he thinks even that power should be more powerful.