Veto Threatened on Bill to Restrict Powers Under Terrorism Law By ERIC LICHTBLAU, NYTimes

The Bush administration, stepping up the debate over its antiterrorism policies, threatened on Thursday to veto a pending bill that would scale back the government’s powers under the USA Patriot Act.

Attorney General John Ashcroft told reporters that the bill, sponsored by Senate Republicans and Democrats, “unilaterally disarms America’s defenses” against terrorists and that President Bush intended to veto the measure if Congress passed it.

The threat of a veto represents an unusual pre-emptive strike by the administration. The bill has not even come up for a vote in the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Look at Asskraft’s (sic) hyperbole about ‘unilaterally disarms America’s defenses.’ What a liar.

Note that Duhbya has had zero vetoes, a modern record. Will his first veto be an attack against the Legislature’s attempt to rein-in the out-of-control Executive? mjh