[robinjoe]

[quote]Originally posted by quicksilverdon

"1) A governor doesn't preside over executions. He has nothing to do with executions. That's the role of the judiciary. Some governors abuse their power, and break the separation of power between the branches (legislative, executive, and judiciary) by issuing a pardon."

But a pardon is within his rights. Seems the same as a presidential veto. [:I]


[quote]Originally posted by Retro



If the legislature presented him with a bill proposing to legalize capitol punishment, he might be able to veto it. However, capitol punishment was already the law of the land. I'm not sure about Texas, but Retro seems to know more about that state.

Whether he is allowed to issue a pardon or not isn't the point IMHO. Any governor who issues a pardon is nullifying the law of the land and the work of the courts. Bush has demonstrated his cooperative spirit with the other branches by not issuing lots of pardons or vetos.

The stem-cell bill is the first bill he is vetoing since becomming president. It was a core of his campaign platform, and and he was elected partly due to that conviction. It would have been a gross violation of trust that the electorate has placed on him to violate that promise.

Remember how His father was lamblasted for violating his "read my lips ... no new taxes" promise?

Regarding stem cell research, I agree with you Don. This is a damned if you do, damned if you don't situation. A real tough call. It's easy for us on both sides of the argument to take a position. It's another thing to be the president and have to take a stand on this sort of thing.

I think he's doing the right thing in allowing the research to continue, but prevent taxpayer funding from being used to kill the embryos. Keep in mind that once stem cells are harvested, they can be reproduced over and over again for many years to come, and there are several strains (I'm not sure if that's the right term) that ARE available for Federaly funded research.