The administration claims to have a plan to cut the deficit in half over the next five years. But even Bruce Bartlett, a longtime tax-cut advocate, points out that "projections showing deficits falling assume that Bush's tax cuts expire on schedule." But Mr. Bush wants those tax cuts made permanent. That is, the administration has a "plan" to reduce the deficit that depends on Congress's not passing its own legislation.So here is proof positive that Bush is claiming two mutually exclusive things.
1. He has a plan to reduce the deficit; the plan includes letting the tax cuts expire.
2. He plans to make the tax cuts permanent.
One of these statements is untrue. Care to guess which one?
Maybe that title should read deficit in honesty.
