Bush and his Phony Vetoes

There is an article out on Saturday, October 13, 2007, by the Associated Press on how Bush wants a budget fight with Congress now that it is controlled by Democrats. When Congress was controlled by Republicans and they were running up deficits Bush couldn't bring himself to veto a spending bill. Now, however, that Democrats control the Congress he wants a veto fight to show that Republicans are really, despite their miserable record, fiscal conservatives.

This is really, like a lot of what Bush does, phony. If he and his Republicans cohorts were really interested in fiscal responsibility they wouldn't have pushed through his reckless tax cuts of 2001 and 2003. If he was really interested in holding down government spending, he would have vetoed bills that were passed by the Republican Congresses earlier in his tenure as president. The fact that he waits until he has a Congress that is controlled by Democrats to get fiscal religion is just one more example of the essential phoniness of George W. Bush. It goes along with his fake cowboy routine with his ranch down in Texas and his warlike rhetoric that hides his masculine insecurities.

Here are some items that Bush wants in the budget: Cuts in programs that provide job training, low-income housing and grants to community groups that help the poor, as well as grants to state and local governments.

Here are some things he wants in the budget: More money for the Pentagon, not counting the cost of the war in Iraq.

Where a person puts his or her money reveals a lot about their priorities in life. Bush wants more money for war and less money for people.