The line item veto came into effect January 1st, 1997 after being passed in an overwhelmingly Republican House, and the Senate, (with many objections by Senator Robert Byrd). However, the republican bill did not live for long, although it took a very long time to pass it, it was struck down in 1998 by a Supreme Court ruling. Although it was declared unconstitutional, President Bush still asks for it to this day, and it is likely that many more Republican presidents will. The implications of the bill, and the reasons around its end, form an ongoing challenge between Republican and Democratic views of the presidential power of the veto. The basics around the Line Item Veto stand as thus; its short lived glory under the administration of Clinton was an effective aid to his policy, as he made use of it 82 times in the one year that it lasted. Also it was a powerful tool in ridding the policy of federal expenses that only existed on bills to attract interest groups. Of course this angered Democrats, and so they thought, if outlawed, then bills that were mostly liked by presidents would still pass with the little lobbying amendments. As the Line Item Veto did not last long, there is not much history or usages of it to be described, such as many other bills that created famous cases. However, it is a bill that has been desired by many past presidents, predominantly Republicans, and so it is likely that in them, the legacy and desire for the Line Item Veto will go on.
             In history every president since Abraham Lincoln has asked for the power of the line item veto. It has been coveted mostly by the big time Republicans such as Reagan and Bush Senior. Despite the constant requests from almost every president, it was not passed until 1997, making Clinton the first president to ever have the power already given to forty-three governors, the power of the line item veto. The conservatives placed the line item veto on the policy agenda in an atte...