President Clinton finally signed a $8.6 billion disaster relief bill last Thursday. While Clinton said that Americans provide assistance to those in need “as one nation”, the weeks of partisan squabbling does not present the picture of a happy, unified political body.

Ironically, while Republicans crow about how they “won” the battle over the bill, it was the Democrats who had unity in taking the high road. They kept the public opinion focused on the real reason for the bill—giving help to those who need it.

We applaud Clinton, the House and the Senate for finally agreeing on a bill that will help people who have had their lives destroyed by the elements, but the Republicans really should know better than to play upon the public’s sympathy to ramrod through their pork barrel projects.

Tacked on to the original bill were plans for non-critical highway construction and the controversial changing of U.S. Census sampling procedures.

The revised bill signed by Clinton was voted against by many of the Republican high command, including Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott (R-Miss.) and House Majority Leader Dick Armey (R-Tex.).

The partisan bickering over a bill that would be seemingly easy to pass just highlights the need for a presidential line-item veto. This useful tool, which both presidents Bush and Clinton have asked for, would allow a president to slice away unnecessary projects attached to a bill.

Line-item vetoes are something governors have had for quite some time, and is certainly a device Clinton had gotten used to in his many years of running Arkansas.

We think the availability of a presidential line-item veto is an idea that is long overdue. We think it would remove the infighting and gridlock that has now consumed Capitol Hill.