Washington Post columnist David Broder is the king of journalistic neutrality. He enjoys nearly universal respect in DC because of his meticulous research and cautious, well-balanced views; In fact, a lot of people can't tell if he votes Republican or Democrat.

When it comes to matters of fiscal responsibility, however, any rhetorical restraint he normally has goes out the window. In this column about the budget, the gloves come off. At issue is President Bush's deficit reduction plan and the very different form it takes in Congress. Broder argues that the plan as it appears in Congress is shamelessly deceptive and could never reach the goals that the president set for it. What's more, Broder writes, this is what the president wanted all along.

This sounds right to me, but I would add one more thing: Bush's budget proposal is reckless even in its rhetorical form. Over the course of five years, Bush hopes to cut the budget deficit in half. This is much like a fat person saying that he will try to cut the rate of increase he gains in weight over the course of five years. On year 1 he will plan to put on 40 lbs., on year 2 he will put on an additional 35 lbs., and so on until year 5 when he will "only" put on 20 lbs. And remember, this is the plan in its presentable form, before it gets to Congress.