Independent thinking

How's this for setting a new tone in government, regarding the House's decision to rescind the FCC's increase in the percentage limit of stations a media conglomerate can own (emphasis mine):

Hoping to increase their power, some Republicans were seeking House members' signatures for a letter pledging to vote to sustain a veto, GOP aides said. It would take 145 lawmakers, or one-third of the House, to uphold a veto, which would be President Bush's first.

Three years into the presidency, and Bush has failed to verto a single bill? Not one thing has come out of Congress that he hasn't signed? Somehow this strikes me as a bit absurd. Does it indicate that Bush doesn't really actually pay attention to what's going on around him, and that he's simply a "president going through the motions," or is he completely satisfied with everything Congress has done thus far in his administration. Either way, it's pretty scary. . . .

But in better news, the House has also voted to rescind the Patriot Act's regulation allowing the government to perform "sneak and peek" searches, instead of the standard "advanced notice" restrictions. I'm all for more security, but not at the expense of common sense and intrusive behavior on the part of the government. Contradictory, I suppose, but that's my take. Your mileage may vary. . . .