I Think We're Onto Something

The current brouhaha in DC is centered around Bush having the gall to ask for yet MORE funding for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. What makes this request different from the ones before is that Congress, in a rather uniquely bi-partisan fashion, is attaching an interesting little condition to the $108 billion check: Bush gets his money only if he agrees to actually spend some money for important items on the home front, like our own law enforcement.

So let me see if I get this straight:

• Bush wants a lot of money for his useless war.
• Congress will fork over the dough if he agrees to spend money for our country, in addition to Iraq.
• Bush will veto a bill with the domestic spending condition.
• Therefore, veto = no more war funding.

Hot damn! I think we got under Bush's skin, and that came through pretty clear at yesterday's Senate Appropriations hearing, when White House budget chump director Jim Nussle got a little testy, basically insulting Congress for wanting to spend money for something other than Iraq:

At a sometimes combative Senate Appropriations Committee hearing, White House budget director Jim Nussle chided lawmakers for a "sky-is-the-limit mind-set" regarding "the desire of some in Congress to load up this troop funding bill with tens of billions in additional spending."

Well, Senator Barbara Mikulski (D-MD) totally let Nussle have it, in no uncertain terms. In fact, I order all of you to watch the video (and optionally read the transcript) at ThinkProgress.

It's one of the best ass-kickings given to any member of the Bush administration I've ever seen. In fact, it is so much teh aw3some that I ordered Liss to watch the video immediately, after which she declared: "I want to be Barbara Mikulski when i grow up!"

Update: Video now available below the fold.