Bush under fire over 'runaway spending'

[T_i_B]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2004/01/23/wbush23.xml&sSheet=/portal/2004/01/23/ixportal.html&secureRefresh=true&_requestid=50731

President George W Bush is facing mounting anger from the conservative Right who accused him of letting government spending run out of control. Forty Republican Congressmen have formed a rebel group committed to curbing federal spending.

"The Republican Congress is spending at twice the rate as under Bill Clinton and President Bush has yet to issue a single veto," said Paul Weyrich, the chairman of one group, Coalitions for America.

The federal deficit reached $374 billion (£203 billion) at the end of the last fiscal year on Sept 30. New figures next month are expected to project a deficit of $480 billion (£260 billion) in 2004.

The Right's fury has been compounded by the details of a vast spending bill laden with an array of "pork barrel" projects shocking even by the blatant vote-buying standards of congressional politics.

[cornermouse]

1. Bottom line.

In spite of their "rebellion", they voted for it.

[Skidmore]

2. They voted for it so they could start

the ragging they are doing now. Now they start hacking federally funded social programs. It was a setup to this end. The ragging just gives them political cover.