Richard from Greensboro, NC writes:
Dear Couch-rider,
Excellent point on the deficit (It’s the spending, Stupid) but there is an additional one wanting to be made.
A president has limited political capital. President Bush is choosing to spend his capital on tax cuts and prosecuting the War on Terrorism. He may have entered office to fight growth in government spending, but since 9-11 his emphasis has properly been on the war.
It seems to me that it is up to the Congress to exercise self-restraint; it is not for the president to lose focus on the war in order to rein them in.
Also, there is an institutional disadvantage to Republican administrations when it comes to cutting spending. No matter how much a GOP administration plans to spend on any social program, Democrats will complain it isn’t enough, a plaint that will resonate in the media.