Yep, the same george Bush who gave the Mexicans a hack on the railroading of two innocent Border Patrol agents just gave the Shiite "government" of Iraq a hack on the US defense bill.
Bruxley; at least the dastardly Democrats did pass a defense bill before the end of the year. The Republican 06 congress picked up their shattered marbles and went home after getting trounced in the election; leaving the defense bill for the dastardly Democrats to pass.
Here it is right from FAUX news:
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,318785,00.html
Texas — President George W. Bush headed toward a constitutional confrontation with Congress on Friday over his effort to reject a sweeping US defense bill.
Bush announced he would scuttle the bill with a "pocket veto" — essentially, letting the bill die without his signature 10 days after he received it, or the end of Dec. 31.
But that can happen only when Congress is not in session; otherwise, the bill becomes law without a formal veto in 10 days. And the Senate maintains it is in session by holding brief — sometimes only seconds long — meetings every two or three days with only one senator present.
The White House's view is that Congress has adjourned.
It was unclear how the executive and legislative branches would determine whether, in fact, Bush's lack of signature would amount to vetoing the bill or turning it into law.
"My withholding of approval from the bill precludes its becoming law," Bush said in a statement of disapproval sent to Congress.
The president said he was sending the bill and his outline of objections to the clerk of the House of Representatives "to avoid unnecessary litigation about the non-enactment of the bill that results from my withholding approval, and to leave no doubt that the bill is being vetoed."
Democratic congressional leaders complained that Bush's move was thrust upon them at the last minute. The controversy centers on one provision in the legislation dealing with Iraqi assets. The bill would permit plaintiffs' lawyers immediately to freeze Iraqi funds and would expose Iraq to "massive liability in lawsuits concerning the misdeeds of the Saddam Hussein regime," said White House spokesman Scott Stanzel.
""The new democratic government of Iraq, during this crucial period of reconstruction, cannot afford to have its funds entangled in such lawsuits in the United States," Stanzel said in a statement.
House and Senate Democrats said Friday the first time they'd heard of any White House concerns with the legislation was after Congress sent the bill to Bush for his signature.
"The administration should have raised its objections earlier, when this issue could have been addressed without a veto," Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., said in a joint statement. "The American people will have every right to be disappointed if the president vetoes this legislation, needlessly delaying implementation of the troops' pay raise, the Wounded Warriors Act and other critical measures.""