Ok who ever thought this was a good idea?

So Bush is urging Congress to pass the line item veto. Now Congress gave Clinton the line item veto in 1996 but the courts struck it down.

So 2 questions.
1. Why does Congress think this new bill will be any more constitutional than the last?
2. Who in their right mind thought this was a good idea?

Don't get me wrong I'm all for cutting down on pork barrel spending, but letting a president edit a law? Doesn't that kind of duck around the whole checks and balances thing that is suposed to make our government so great?

I'm mean lets face it the main problem with our government today is that the executive branch already has too much power. Bush is already effectively exercising line item veto by using signing statements saying that he (and therefore all of the executive branch) won't enforce provisions of laws that Congress has passed.

I don't really care if we some how got a president who was better than all our greatest presidents combined... I still wouldn't want him to be able to circumvent the checks and balances of our government.