With a Little Bit Of Luck

Oh, you can walk the straight and narrow;
But with a little bit of luck You'll run amuck!
--With a Little Bit O' Luck lyrics, My Fair Lady

A recent analysis of Bush's budget by writer Tom Raum states, "One major unmentioned entry in President Bush's new budget is luck."

Luck. This reminds me of the book, "Custer's Luck." Custer was famous for his precipitous combat leadership, until the day his luck ran out. Unfortunately, when Bush's runs out, it will be the American taxpayer that will have to pay the piper. Less than 300 soldiers paid for Custer's folly; GWB has exceeded that number by a factor of plus ten.

Senate majority leader Harry Reid said it was "deception to hide a massive increase in debt." It appears that Harry just doesn't understand the finer points of Enron accounting practices.

Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus said, "The president's eyes are shut tight to this country's fiscal reality."

But strong U.S. and global economies are helping to mask present war costs.

"There's a lot of surplus capital looking to be invested, and thus far those funds have been invested in U.S. treasuries, and therefore the world is financing our deficits," said Thomas Mann, a scholar at the Brookings Institution, a liberal-leaning think tank. "That has helped keep inflation and interest rates low, and therefore the costs of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have been easier to tolerate."

America cannot afford to bet on GWB's luck. He is a bankrupt gambler.