Classic Bush

From Josh Marshall, quoting this morning's New York Times:

Facing a record budget deficit, Bush administration officials say they have drafted an election-year budget that will rein in the growth of domestic spending without alienating politically influential constituencies. (emphasis mine)

They said the president's proposed budget for the 2005 fiscal year, which begins Oct. 1, would control the rising cost of housing vouchers for the poor, require some veterans to pay more for health care, slow the growth in spending on biomedical research and merge or eliminate some job training and employment programs. The moves are intended to trim the programs without damaging any essential services, the administration said.

See? Just lay it out there. Straight up. Who in this country cares that BushCo is a huge sucking pirate operation? How many people are going to be right there at the polls punching their BushChad in November? Waaaaaaaay too many. And amongst them will be veterans and other politically non-influential constituencies.

Josh's summary translation:

How do we push the budget discipline issue without pressuring any of our interest groups (for whom we've been looting the fisc for the last couple years) and do it in a way that the consequences won't be clear until we're well into the second term?

Sort of the definition of forward-looking leadership.

Yeah. Self-serving and unafraid to admit it. With absolutely no reason to be afraid. God bless America.

....but hey, do what you want....you will anyway.