In his first six years in office, President Bush never met a spending bill he didn't like. He did not veto a single spending bill from the Republican-controlled Congress, even though those measures — combined with tax cuts — resulted in huge deficits and sent the national debt skyrocketing.

Now that Democrats are in power, Mr. Bush is dug in for a challenge to the 12 pending spending bills to keep the government running.

"You're fixin' to see what they call a fiscal showdown in Washington," Mr. Bush told a friendly audience in Northwest Arkansas on Monday.

Mr. Bush threatened to veto the Democrats' spending plans because, he said, they would raise taxes and prevent the nation from balancing the budget.

Democrats are pressing to spend about $22 billion more on domestic programs than Bush wants. The proposals include increased funding for education, medical research, Head Start, clean-water programs and health care for the military and veterans.

Mr. Bush's position would seem genuine were it not for his spendthrift policies. Based on his first six years in office, his veto threat rings more of partisan bickering than of true conservative principles.

Email This Page