President Obama: “Put Up or Shut the Fuck Up”

Those weren’t his exact words of course. But finally, members of Congress who claim they’re concerned about the deficit — especially when they’re talking about a program they don’t like — will have a chance to prove it.

This will separate the deficit hawks from the deficit chickenhawks.

This law (proposed by Obama) doesn’t give the president quite as much power as the line item veto, which was struck down by the Supreme Court in 1998. But it’s close.

This new law would give the president up to two months — after signing a spending bill — to scrutinize the bill for anything deemed “pork.” The president would then send Congress a list of specific spending cuts from the bill. Congress would be required to hold an up-or-down vote to approve or disapprove the spending cuts.

The bill will probably be introduced later this week by House Budget Committee Chairman John Spratt (D—S. Carolina). Nancy Pelosi’s response wasn’t exactly bursting with enthusiasm:

“We look forward to reviewing the president's proposal and working together to do what's right for our nation's fiscal health and security, now and in the future.”

Weepin’ John Boehner sobbed: “This is no substitute for a real budget that reins in overall federal spending.”

I’m personally in favor of this idea, even though it's a double-edged sword. It could be Our Worst Nightmare if we get another “cut taxes and triple the defense budget” dildo in the White House.

What say you?