Nation: Carter Fires a Salvo

He hands Congress a veto—and threatens more

A veto is a prerogative that a President is given under the Constitution. It is not an abnormal authority. It is one that should be a routine part of the interrelationship between the White House and Capitol Hill. And it is not only a pleasure to have that authority to make my own leverage more effective, but it is a duty that falls on me."

With that defiant challenge to his antagonists in Congress, Jimmy Carter vetoed his first major bill last week —only the fifth time he...