November 13, 2007 10:29 AM

Priorities

The President is really getting a hang of that veto pen:

President Bush today vetoed a bill that would have provided $150.7 billion for education, health care, job training and other domestic programs.

Dana Perino, the White House press secretary, said the measure exceeded the president's budget request by nearly $10 billion and included some 2,000 items designating money for lawmakers' pet projects.

You know, when the President makes any decision, I'm instinctively suspicious. But, hey, maybe having more accountability over a bloated budget is a good idea. Maybe this shows a new attention to the details of fiscal responsibility that had previously alluded this President.

Wait...what's that?

At the same time, just before leaving the White House, Mr. Bush signed the Defense Department appropriations bill, which provides $459 billion for military programs

Right...and there are no pet projects, wasteful expenses or wrong-headed decisions in that budget. Sure.

So maybe it's just that the President likes being irresponsible when he likes being irresponsible...and takes it out on everyone else's priorities.

So, Mr. President, building weapons is your priority. We get it. Our priorities are embodied in the 50 organizations we support each year. And you can see more about what our friends believe at this video gallery.

And since the defense budget Bush just signed didn't include Iraq War funds (can you believe it's half-a-trillion without Iraq?!?!), we will have a separate budget process to tell the President our priority: that it's time to stop spending on this war in Iraq until we change course.