White House Vows To Veto Any Bill Attached To Hate Crimes Legislation

White House spokesman Tony Fratto yesterday said that President Bush plans to veto any bill to which the Matthew Shepard Act (MSA) is attached. Fratto: "The qualifications [in the bill] are so broad that virtually any crime involving a homosexual individual has potential to have hate crimes elements. The proposals they're talking about are not sufficiently narrow."

Last month Sen. Ted Kennedy attached the MSA to a Department of Defense appropriations bill which also contained a provision calling for the withdrawal of troops from Iraq. After a threatened Republican filibuster, the bill was withdrawn. Bush has never had a veto overridden.

The Christianist sites are already celebrating.