Why are the Democrats fighting real ethic reform?

Earmarks are not necessarily ethics reform.

But Democrats will fight real ethics reform because they are very dirty themselves. Contra Costa Times reported last year that Pelosi and Sen. Boxer took more than $280,000 in free trips and vacations from Washington and California lobbyists. Neither reported these amounts as income on their income tax returns nor did they report these numbers to Congress as current ethical guidelines require.

Think the Speaker of the House really wants to stop that? That's her bread and butter!

It's not a question of ethics, it's politics.

The dems don't want the president, wether it's Bush or whomever, to be able to delete, thru line item veto power, specific spending issues.

Being able to do so, the president could play politics and delete items that would help his political enemies.

The dems feel, that if the entire House agrees to a bill, then that bill should either be signed by the president or vetoed.

Having the President do a line item veto would make him a "second" congressional house". The Consitution specificaly gives Congress the right to write the bills, not the president.

Republicans have had 6 years to pass the Line Item Veto... why now? Why use this as an excuse to stop the Senate Ethics Bill they ALSO had 6 years to pass but did NOTHING about.

This is a limp attempt to make the do-nothing Republicans look as though they TRY, Lord KNOWS they try, but just can't sign Bills into law when theyre using both hands to take bribe money...

Sen Byrd is one of the biggest "earmarkers" in the senate.

W.Virgina walks away with millions every year.

To Dems tax money ,brought home, is a ticket to reelection.

You really didn't think the dems would do any thing that would be good for the country did you?

The Democrats can whine about it all they want but you're right, THEY RAN ON A PROGRAM OF ETHICS REFORM AND NOW THAT'S THE LAST THING THEY WANT. Do you think that it's a coincidence that Byrd and Reid are against this? They're the two worst offenders.

It's called a line item veto, and the republicans fought it for years against Clinton, but wanted it for Bush. It is plainly and clearly hypocritical for the republicans to push it now.

You are deliberately confusing the issue as a partisan rant.

All you have said is that Republicans are STILL up to the same dirty tricks,AGAINST the will of the people.

the problem may lie in attaching riders to bills or proposals, like Bush wanting to attach tax cuts to big business, to the min. wage increase. if the dems vote 'no' it looks like they are against min. wage increases, right? One thing at a time...

you mean the line item veto? that only gets attached to bills to kill them. where have you been?