How Democrats Should Act

Dan Froomkin notes that when Democrats push back, Bush's signing statements get withdrawn:

Robert Brodsky writes for Government Executive: 'The White House and congressional leaders have announced most of the appointees to the long-awaited Commission on Wartime Contracting. The bipartisan team is charged with investigating virtually all war-related contracts, including funds devoted to reconstruction, logistical support for coalition forces, and security and intelligence functions.

'The commission is the brainchild of Sens. Jim Webb, D-Va., and Claire McCaskill, D-Mo. The freshmen senators co-wrote the provision creating the panel, which was included in the 2008 National Defense Authorization Act and signed into law in January. . . .

'The White House's cooperation with the panel is an about-face from its earlier public stance.

'Shortly after signing the defense authorization, Bush issued a signing statement that said he did not have to abide by four provisions in the legislation, including the one creating the commission. At the time, Bush said the provisions could inhibit his 'ability to carry out his constitutional obligations to take care that the laws be faithfully executed, to protect national security, to supervise the executive branch, and execute his authority as commander in chief.'

"Webb immediately pushed back, criticizing the statement as an 'impingement on the rights' of Congress and said the Senate would 'march forward in an expeditious manner' to create the panel. Webb's office said the White House seems to have dropped its objections and plans to cooperate with the panel. . . .

"The commission is modeled after the Truman committee, which conducted hundreds of hearings and investigations into government waste during and after World War II."

For more about that signing statement, see my Jan. 30 column, Bush Thumbs Nose at Congress.

I'm not a big fan of Webb. I think that he's too conservative.

That being said, he has a spine.