I feel like I’m becoming a George W. Bush cheerleader.

I was very heartened to read this NY Times article proclaiming that Bush’s budget favors security over social spending. Well, that’s what governments should do.

I, of course, would love to see much greater cuts (e.g. War On Drugs, “education”, unneeded military weapons systems and deployments); but, it’s possible that this budget is already pushing the limits of what is politically feasible. I hope Bush is serious about defending these budget goals with credible veto threats (and actual vetos, if necessary). He has been a failure to make any serious effort to control spending thusfar.

This might just be an opening offer in a bargaining process, but it’s so much better than first-term Bush had to offer that the result, if he follows through, is likely to be far better than I had expected.

UPDATE: The folks at Cato aren’t quite as impressed as I am. I don’t disagree with their goals, I’m just not sure if demanding something closer to perfection will help or hinder the chances of getting the best possible outcome.