Is George Bush going to pocket veto the Secure Fence Act?

[rodeodance]

I think bush is waiting for MAX impact to sign!

http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/

October 9, 2006

SECURE FENCE ACT REVISITED....Is George Bush going to pocket veto the Secure Fence Act? Ed Morrissey made a phone call and says no:

Congress has not formally sent the bill to the President. That means the clock has not started for his signature. The 10-day period starts only after Congress formally prints and delivers the bill for the President to sign into law.

Why has Congress waited? The Secure Fence Act, which requires that the border barrier be constructed, is a very high priority for Republican leadership in both chambers. They and the White House want to schedule the signing for what they see as the maximum impact to the midterm elections. This means waiting for other stories to fall off the front pages.

This actually sounds pretty plausible to me, since it's hard to imagine that even Bush could be stubborn enough to betray his already rebellious base by vetoing this legislation. On the other hand, if they're really serious about "waiting for other stories to fall off the front pages," he could end up pocket vetoing the thin

[kurth]

1. He'll sign the bill, but he'll also sign another bill to kill it dead:

In Border Fence's Path, Congressional Roadblocks
By Spencer S. Hsu
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, October 6, 2006; Page A01

No sooner did Congress authorize construction of a 700-mile fence on the U.S.-Mexico border last week than lawmakers rushed to approve separate legislation that ensures it will never be built, at least not as advertised, according to Republican lawmakers and immigration experts...

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/10/05/AR2006100501935.html

[Buzz Clik]

2. Shrub doesn't like the fence. You make a good analysis. n/t

[gratuitous]

3. Are you implying that the GOP is playing politics?

Omigod, that's just so, so . . . well, never mind. Because it's okay if you're a Republican to play politics with immigration and security issues. You just can't play politics with the Foley Affair, see, because that's a loser for the Republicans. So quit talking about Foley everybody! Because that's playing politics right before an election, and that's just low-down dirty pool.

Got it?