Fiscal Discipline, W-Style

Guess what? After the most dismal spending record in presidential history, and ever-increasing deficits, Bush is suddenly a believer in budget discipline:



Six years after the Supreme Court took away the president's ability to veto specific parts of legislation, President Bush is asking Congress to bring back the line-item veto to let him make precision strikes against projects and tax provisions he doesn't like.



At a news conference after his re-election, Bush said he wanted a line-item veto that "passed constitutional muster," explaining it would help him work with lawmakers "to make sure that we're able to maintain budget discipline."



What a riot. Who knew Bush was such a natural comedian? This is almost as hilarious as that video clip where he went looking under couch cushions for the missing weapons of mass destruction.



Since Bush has a pet Congress, they're likely to give him what he wants--which is another weapon to reward and punish his lackeys and enemies. Pork barrels for your right-wing constituencies? No problem. Funding for, say, an afterschool program? Watch the mighty sword of budget discipline do its work!



The Supreme Court struck down Clinton's line-item veto power in 1997, saying it "gave the president unconstitutional unilateral power to change laws enacted by Congress." It'll be interesting to see if anyone manages to get a legal challenge all the way to the SC this time, and if they do, whether the Supremes will find some way to justify a different ruling.