Read His Lips: Bush's Exercise in Fiscal Restraint

[Rose Siding]

President Bush tucked a rather startling revelation into the middle of his news conference Wednesday. Discussing the upcoming release of a budget for 2006, he vowed: "I'll promote a package that will show the budget being cut in half over the next five years."

One suspects that the president means he will be cutting the budget deficit in half over five years, and not that he will be halving everything from military spending to agriculture subsidies. But he made the mistake four times in the news conference, saying last year's "projected budget" was $527 billion, that the actual "budget was $412 billion" and that this year's "budget is projected to be at $427 billion." In fact, the fiscal 2005 budget is forecast to be about $2.43 trillion -- and nobody's thinking about cutting that in half.

The president seemed to have similar difficulty on the more parochial topic of Carl Cameron's son. Taking a question from Fox News's White House correspondent, Bush asked about the age of Cameron's child, and Cameron said the child is 14.

"Yes, 14. Well, if she were -- " Bush began.

"He, sir," Cameron corrected....

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A47784-2005Jan29.html

Four days later, a reporter mentions that Bush said he'd cut the budget in half.

:D or :cry:?