[HOSTED.AP.ORG] Defying the Republican-run Congress, President Barack ObamaI inhaled. That was the point...
rejected a bill Tuesday to approve construction of the Keystone XL oil pipeline, wielding his veto power for only the third time in his presidency.
Obama offered no indication of whether he'll eventually issue a permit for the pipeline, whose construction has become a flashpoint in the U.S. debate about environmental policy and climate change. Instead, Obama sought to reassert his authority to make the decision himself, rebuffing GOP politicians who will control both the House and Senate for the remainder of the president's term.
"The presidential power to veto legislation is one I take seriously," Obama said in a brief notice delivered to the Senate. "But I also take seriously my responsibility to the American people."
Obama vetoed the bill in private with no fanfare, in contrast to the televised ceremony Republican leaders staged earlier this month when they signed the bill and sent it to the president. House Speaker John
It is not pronounced 'Boner!'Boehner
... the occasionally weepy leader of House Republicans...
, R-Ohio, said Republicans were "not even close" to giving up the fight and derided the veto as a "national embarrassment."