President signs Iraq spending bill
WASHINGTON (CNN) - President Bush signed the $120 billion Iraq war funding bill Friday evening at Camp David, the White House announced.
"Congress voted yesterday to provide our troops with the funding and flexibility they need to protect our country,and I was pleased to sign the bill today," said the president in a written statement after the signing. "Rather than mandate arbitrary timetables for troop withdrawals or micromanage our military commanders, this legislation enables our servicemen and women to follow the judgment of commanders on the ground."
McCain gives Obama 'flak' over spelling
WASHINGTON (CNN) - Two presidential candidates are locked in a war of words overIraqand, to a lesser degree, spelling.
On Friday, Sen. Barack Obama, D-Illinois, referred to a "flack jacket" in a press release defending his "no" vote on Thursday'sIraqwar funding bill. Sen. John McCain, R-Arizona, responded with his own release which concludes with the line, "By the way, Senator Obama, it's a 'flak' jacket, not a 'flack' jacket."
The term "flak" refers to the fire from an anti-aircraft gun.
According to Webster's New World Dictionary, the American Heritage Dictionary, and the Oxford English Dictionary, "flack" is an alternate spelling of "flak," though the main listing for the term is under "flak." Two additional dictionaries, the Merriam Webster Dictionary: Home and Office Edition and the Webster's II New Riverside University Dictionary, list only "flak," and do not indicate "flack" as an alternate spelling.
A press spokesman, which incidentally is another possible definition for the term "flack" but not "flak," for the U.S. Army says the military generally does not use either spelling in official written communications, opting instead to refer to specific types of armor or weaponry. The spokesman added that while both spellings are used informally, "flak" is more common.
Hillary courts 'Young Hollywood'
LOS ANGELES, California (CNN) - Among the stops on Sen. Hillary Clinton's trip to the Golden State later this month will be a fundraising event with a group of young celebrities.
The event, billed by the campaign as a "Young Hollywood Reception," will be held at the home of movie director Brett Ratner. Among the co-hosts are singer Christina Aguilera, "Desperate Housewives" co-star Eva Longoria, and actor Jeremy Piven of HBO's comedy "Entourage."
The entry fee for the reception is a relatively modest $250, but a $1000 contribution will allow access to a VIP pre-reception as well as an after-party. The maximum contribution for any single donor is $4600. Read the invitation.
Florida lawmakers green-light early primary
WASHINGTON (CNN) - Florida has taken another step towards moving its presidential primary to its earliest date ever with the legislature passing a bill Thursday that would change the date to January 29, 2008.
Gov. Charlie Crist, R-Florida, supports the move, and is expected to sign bill the next week.
"With an earlier presidential primary, Florida will now take its rightful place near the front of the line in determining the next leader of the free world," said Crist in a statement.
The move is in violation of both national Democratic and Republican party rules, which allow only a handful of states, such as Iowa and New Hampshire, to hold their contests before February 5. While the parties can issue various penalties on a state for violating the rules regarding the presidential nomination calendar, they cannot block the date change outright.
Bush vetoes less than most presidents
WASHINGTON (CNN) - President Bush's veto of the Iraq war spending bill Tuesday marks the second of his presidency. His first was issued July 19, 2006 over the "Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act of 2005."
Bush, who for most of his term in office has worked with a friendly Republican Congress, has vetoed fewer pieces of legislation of any president since James Garfield. Only nine presidents in American history have vetoed fewer bills.
Some stats from the annals of presidential veto history, courtesy of the U.S. Senate Historical Office:
Recent Presidents and their Vetoes
GW Bush: 2 Total (0 overridden as of May 1, 2007)
Clinton: 37 Total (2 overrridden)
GHW Bush: 44 Total (1 overridden)
Reagan: 78 Total (9 overridden)
Carter: 31 Total (2 overridden)
Ford: 66 Total (12 overridden)
Nixon: 43 Total (7 overridden)
Presidential Veto Hall of Fame – Most Vetoes
F. Roosevelt: 635 total (9 overridden)
Cleveland: 584 total (7 overridden)
Truman: 250 total (12 overridden)
Eisenhower: 181 total (2 overridden)
Grant: 94 total (4 overridden)
T. Roosevelt: 82 total (1 overridden)
Reagan: 78 total (9 overridden)
Ford: 66 total (12 overridden)
Coolidge: 50 total (4 overridden)
Presidential Veto Hall of Fame – Most Overridden Vetoes
Andrew Johnson: 15 overridden out of 29 total
Gerald Ford: 12 overridden out of 66 total
Harry Truman: 12 overridden out of 250 total
Ronald Reagan: 9 overridden out of 78 total
F. Roosevelt: 9 overridden out of 635 total
Richard Nixon: 7 overridden out of 43 total
Grover Cleveland: 7 overridden out of 584 total
Fewer Vetoes Than President George W. Bush
John Adams (1797-1801)
Thomas Jefferson (1801-1809)
James Monroe (1817-1825)
John Quincy Adams (1825-1829)
Martin Van Buren (1837-1841)
William Henry Harrison (1841)
Zachary Taylor (1849-1850)
Millard Fillmore (1850-53)
James Garfield (1881)
No-Veto Presidents:
Seven presidents have not issued any vetoes:
Three who served at least one full term:
John Adams (1797-1801)
Thomas Jefferson (1801-1809)
John Quincy Adams (1825-1829)
And four who served partial terms:
William Henry Harrison (1841)
Zachary Taylor (1849-1850)
Millard Fillmore (1850-53)
James Garfield (1881)
Longest Veto-less streaks:
* Longest streak without a presidential veto (excluding "pocket vetoes"):
7 years, 9 months (from James Polk's last veto, August 3, 1846, to Franklin Pierce's first veto, on May 3, 1854. Two presidents in between – Taylor and Fillmore – issue no vetoes.)
* Longest streak without a presidential veto (including "pocket vetoes"):
6 years, 4 months (Polk did issue a pocket veto on December 16, 1847)
For Veto Enthusiasts Only:
For more information on the history of vetoes, an explanation of all recent vetoes, the difference between regular vetoes and pocket vetoes, and the turbulent life and times of the line-item veto, please visit the U.S. Senate Historical Office's veto homepage.
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