KVNUFTP

From today’s Washington Post:

CRAWFORD, Texas — President Bush, still voicing concern about special project spending by Congress, signed a $555 billion bill Wednesday that funds the Iraq war well into 2008 and keeps government agencies running through next September.

Bush’s signed the massive spending bill as he flew on Air Force One to his Texas ranch here to see in the new year. His signature on the legislation caps a long-running fight with the Democratic-run Congress.

The bill is chuck full of pork, primarily from Democrats.  The reason the President allowed the pork is because this is what Dems get in return for keeping Iraq an open ended commitment.    Democrats get pork.  President Bush gets to keep his war.  Both enable each other in their bad policy and hypocrisy.  Quid Pro Quo.  And even though the pork was the price Bush pays to keep his war, he still piously denounces the earmark spending:

Today, I signed into law H.R. 2764, legislation that will fund the Federal Government within the reasonable and responsible spending levels I proposed — without raising taxes and without the most objectionable policy changes considered by the Congress. This law provides a down payment for the resources our troops need, without arbitrary timelines for withdrawal. The Congress should quickly take action next year to provide the remainder of the funding needed by our troops.

I am disappointed in the way the Congress compiled this legislation, including abandoning the goal I set early this year to reduce the number and cost of earmarks by half. Instead, the Congress dropped into the bill nearly 9,800 earmarks that total more than $10 billion. These projects are not funded through a merit-based process and provide a vehicle for wasteful Government spending.

Dissappointed, Mr. President.   You can’t be THAT disappointed.  After all, without the pork, you can’t continue to occupy Iraq.  And, Mr. President, it’s interesting that you have become a born again fiscal conservative now that the other party is appropriating money.  Interesting indeed.
Of course, Democrats are just as bad.  This is the party that in 2006 ran largely on the promise that they would stand up to President Bush and his insane foreign policy.  Of course for $10 billion in pork spending, Democrats will gladly compromise their campaign platform.

-Tom