WHEN DICK CHENEY SAID, “ Deficits don't matter,” economists took that as proof of the economic illiteracy of the Bush administration. But it turns out there is a case to be made that Cheney was onto something...clip....
On the political level, treating deficits as a non-issue also proved a successful strategy. After all, despite the torrent of red ink that splashed across the national budgets during his first term, George W. Bush was reelected by a substantial margin. ”
Weekly Standard : Do Deficits Matter?..(from 2005,Cheney says no, re-elected for it )
LOL ... Since when was Cheney a talk radio show host? You’ve checkmated yourself. I never exempted the Bush administration from blame, and your failure to find even a single quote to back up the counter-factual claim that conservatives were complicit in Bush’s over-spending is duly noted.
Checkmate indeed. My detailed and accurate history of the Daschle farm bill makes clear that liberal Democrats and big-spending Republicans had Congressional majority at the crucial 2001-2004 timeframe, and it was they, not Marc Levin or Rush or Hannity or anyone else outside-the-beltway, who passed the budget-busting spending bills.
In 2005-2006, the GOP Congress shaped up a little better and spending increases were a lot less.
Then in late 2006, Pelosi and Reid took over and the liberal Democrat run Congress went far beyond any previous Congress in its over-spending habits.
Oh yes, and let it be noted that you are quoting the Weekly Standard, the journal of record for “Big Govt conservatism” and home to Fred Barnes (cheerleader for Medicare Part D and the Bush-Rove big-Govt conservatism (oxymoron)) and Bill Kristol (pro-amnesty, McCain supporter in 2000 and 2008).
If you want to point out that there were a few cheerleaders outside the administration cheering Bush for his (failed) political strategy to compromise with Daschle, Kennedy and Reid on domestic bills and big over-spending ... there they are at the weakly standard. You just WONT find them on the populist AM band.
See, I am trying to *help* your case ... ;-)