pudge's Journal: TMI: Secure Fence Act

So the rightwing BLOG-O-SPHERE has been losing its melon over the Secure Fence Act. It was passed by Congress on September 29, and the Congress says the President has ten days (not including Sundays) to sign it, in which case it becomes law, unless Congress is not in session, in which case it does not. This is the "pocket veto."

So Bush hasn't signed it yet! It's been vetoed!

Well, no. As usual, people have way Too Much Information to be able to reasonably process what's actually going on.

What the Constitution actually says is that Bush has ten days after it shall have been presented to him. The counter does not start when the bill passes, but when he gets it. And as of Tuesday, the bill still had not been presented to him, so the counter had not yet begun.

So, chill. He promised he will sign it. He will therefore sign it, because he always has fulfilled that promise. There's no reason to think this will be the first time he won't.

Actually he has to write his signing statement.

[sulli]

"The President will construe this Act however he damn well pleases."

Re:

[pudge]

As every President has always done, excepting the existence of a Court order otherwise (and sometimes, even then!).

Ahem . . .

[GMontag]

I was reading in The Corner recently that the bill has not yet been delivered to the president. I thought that the 10-day-play-clock started on delivery, not 'passage.'

Re:

[pudge]

That's what I said!

Re:

[GMontag]

My bad!