|
A line-item veto? New on the "To Do" ListBy Rick Horowitz
"I know!" It isn't every day that the President of the United States wakes up in the middle of the night. But there he was at half past three, sitting bolt upright and alive with excitement. Had he really shouted himself out of a sound sleep? (He checked to make sure he hadn't disturbed the First Lady -- so far, so good.) Now it was a matter of waiting for the night to pass, waiting for the morning's first staff meeting so he could share his latest idea with his closest advisers. "It's interesting, Mr. President." "Intriguing." "Unexpected, certainly." "A line-item veto. Who'd have imagined?" He wasn't upset with their reaction. He hadn't assumed they'd love it right off the bat; a line-item veto isn't one of those things most people love right off the bat. He'd figured he'd have to do some convincing, just like he'd have to do some convincing to get Congress to give it to him. But it was worth the effort -- that was the main thing. It was definitely worth the effort. "With all due respect, sir -- " That's never a good sign. When they have to start by telling you how much they respect you, that's never a good sign. "With all due respect, sir, I'm wondering if this is the best time for it." "He means with all the other things you're already working on." "Busy schedule." "Very busy schedule." And just in case he'd forgotten, they walked him through some of the busiest parts. Iraq. Iran. That messy business with the ports. That equally messy business with prescription-drug benefits. Gas prices. Katrina. He hadn't forgotten. He still wasn't upset with them, though. He'd been training himself -- Laura's idea -- to take a few deep breaths when things didn't go his way right away. It would keep him calm, she said, when he needed to stay calm. He took one deep breath, and another. "See?" he said at last. "That's what's so great about it -- they'll never see it coming!" His advisers knew better than to ask who "they" were. Depending on how deeply he furrowed his brow, how firmly he set his jaw, "they" could be terrorists, or journalists, or merely Democrats. "Besides," he continued, "it'll give me something new to talk about." Now he had their full attention. If there was anything his advisers could count on with this president, it was his willingness to talk about the same thing over and over again. He wasn't the sort who was bored by repetition, who ever tired of delivering the same message in speech after speech, rally after rally. Yet here he was, hungry for something different to take out on the stump. Were the months and months of bad news on so many fronts finally starting to get to him? Was he suddenly feeling the need to change the subject? Fine. They could deal with that. But the line-item veto? Was this really the best way to try to turn things around? And was this really the time to be asking Congress to give him more authority? They weren't falling into line behind him as it was, not the way they used to. Not with their own re-election campaigns just around the corner and even loyal Republicans scurrying to show their independence. That's what happens when a president's poll numbers sink into the 30s -- everyone's looking out for No. 1. So what makes him think they'll hand him even more power? "It means I'm on the side of controlling spending. That's the side they need to be on, too." "Yes, but are you sure you -- " "That's the side they need to be on, too," he repeated, and then he looked each of them right in the eye. Was he seeing things, or were they all taking a few deep breaths themselves? "It's interesting, Mr. President." "Intriguing." "Unexpected, certainly." "A line-item veto. Who'd have imagined?" Posted 3/7/06. Check
out award-winning commentary from syndicated columnist Rick Horowitz
twice every week. And tell the neighbors!
|
  |
Rick Horowitz
