Roy Cooper: “President Bush, having vetoed fewer bills than almost any President in American history, is now talking about vetoing…”

“President Bush, having vetoed fewer bills than almost any President in American history, is now talking about vetoing many bills. One of these is the children's health insurance bill, the so-called CHIP or SCHIP piece of legislation. To veto this bill would be a big mistake. One reason is the Senate has already demonstrated it has the votes for an override, and I think in the House it's just a question of time until we have the votes to override. But the key point is this: It's a good bill. And I don't say that lightly. I voted against the first version of the SCHIP legislation that came through the House. I thought it was unaffordable, and over half the bill wasn't for kids at all; it was for senior citizens. This bill is tightly focused on poor children. Poor children, only up to 200 percent of poverty, not the $80,000 you may have been hearing about on talk radio. These are the Tiny Tims of the United States. President Bush should not want to play Ebenezer Scrooge in this play.”