And, we’ll come back for more! At least, that ought to be the motto.
The defense appropriations bill that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid traded away for the “I don’t want to comment on waterboarding” approval of Mike Mukasey as AG? Well, it’s the target of Bush’s first signing statement since Democrats regained the Congressional majority. His specific stated objections to the bill include:
one law Bush targeted requires him to give oversight committees notice before transferring US military equipment to United Nations peacekeepers.
Bush also challenged a new law that limits his ability to transfer funds lawmakers approved for one purpose to start a different program, as well as a law requiring him to keep in place an existing command structure for the Navy's Pacific fleet.
Folks, it’s that second one that’s critical.
Obviously, Bush is saying in advance that if Congress tries to crimp Iraq spending in anyway, he’s simply going to ignore it. Or Iran.
That said, Bush did pull in his horns a bit:
By referring only to objections voiced in past documents, Bush's new signing statement struck a less aggressive tone than those he issued during the years when his own party controlled Congress.
But, that doesn’t matter. His rejection of funding compartmentalization directly connects to Iraq, if not to any Iranian ideas he has up his sleeve. Count on it.
