Health, Education & Jobs=Bad! War=Good!!!

President George W. Bush on Tuesday vetoed a measure to fund education, job training and health programs, marking the sixth veto of his presidency and the latest salvo in a fight with congressional Democrats over domestic spending.

But Bush signed a separate bill to give the Pentagon about $460 billion for the fiscal year that began on October 1, even though the White House was disappointed the military bill was $3.5 billion less than the administration requested.

The White House criticized the $600 billion labor, health, and human services legislation that Bush vetoed, calling it bloated and filled with special projects. It was about $10 billion more than what Bush requested.

"We call on Congress to take out the pork and reduce the overall spending levels and return it to the president," White House spokeswoman Dana Perino as Bush traveled to Indiana for a budget speech.

But House Appropriations Committee Chairman David Obey, a Wisconsin Democrat, said the bill boosted spending on essential programs and that the money is dwarfed by Iraq war costs.

Bush, Obey said, "is now pretending to protect the deficit by refusing to provide a $6 billion increase to crucial domestic investments in education, health care, medical research and worker protections."

Meanwhile, it looks like the cost of our failing wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have ballooned to approximately $1.5 trillion. And the U.S. dollar? Oy:

The dollar slipped against most major currencies on Tuesday, resuming a long-term decline after a respite in the previous session as investors expected further signs of housing weakness and sluggish consumer spending that could hurt U.S. growth.

Heckuva job Georgie...






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