Etheridge: Bush "all hat and no cattle"

As expected, President Bush vetoed the 2008 Farm Bill this afternoon, immediately unleashing criticism from some Capitol Hill Democrats.

“The president seems to be all hat and no cattle,” said Rep. Bob Etheridge, a Lillington Democrat who helped craft the bill’s final version, reports Barb Barrett. “By vetoing the farm bill the president is standing against rural America and families in need.”

The veto came as no surprise, with Bush saying all along that the five-year bill was too hefty and didn’t go far enough to reform subsidy payments to farmers.

Etheridge defended the bill, saying the “safety net” helps keep farmers afloat in uncertain times.

The House plans a veto override vote this afternoon. Both the House and the Senate passed the bill earlier this month with plenty of votes to override a presidential veto.