the White House claims that “more than half of the projected deficits over the next 10 years are directly attributable to the previous Administration’s failure to follow the pay-as-you-go principle.”

This may well be very true. Even if it is, it’s still a cop out. The Bush admin spent like drunken sailors. They made the choices, along with congress. So let’s all join together and spit on those graves. Fine.

Now, lets move on to noticing that every new budget is a brand new opportunity for Congress and the president to behave in a responsible way by spending within the available means.

So far, all we have is a big blamestorm, and that’s pathetic. If the folks in charge now were truly concerned, and really appreciated the seriousness of the current state of fiscal affairs, they’d be talking about making a very big list of desirable things that the gov’t just can’t afford, and how to cut them from the budget.

If ever there were a spot to apply “watch what they do, not what they say,” gov’t spending is surely it. They SAY they’re worried about overspending, but what are they DOING? WE all know the answer.

Visitors here sit through Justin’s regularly scheduled apologia for overspending which Justin has claimed was essential. Here’s the thing: most of us avoid making hard choices. Overspending is a way to delay hard choices, but it isn’t sustainable. It delays the inevitable reckoning, but makes the reckoning worse. Within 2 years. we will face hard choices which will no longer be optional in any meaningful sense. The rest of the world will not keep financing our debt if we keep spending 4 or 5 for every 3 we have. They just won’t.

Oh, and I think this number kills healthcare reform. Hopefully it can finally kill the wars.

Obama will follow Cheney and Reagan’s mantra about deficits not mattering, and as long as he can keep a straight face when he says there will be no tax increases outside of rich people and no spending cuts of any significance, he might get away with it.

“Especially when he passed a $787 billion stimulus plan?” – JG

Especially when both the Stimulus and the 9,000 earmark budget, were both rammed through by Obama before the administration chose to adopt pay-as-you-go.

This has to be the weirdest defense ever, blame the Bush administration for committing a venal sin (big spending blown budgets), while this administration commits a mortal sin (bigger spending, worse budgets).

Who actually believes this stuff?