CBO Predicts 2004 Deficit Will Top $480B (washingtonpost.com): "But if Congress permanently extends current tax cuts, as President Bush has requested, the numbers soar and remain in the red for the foreseeable future, adding another $1.6 trillion to the debt, the CBO said."

This is the part that really bugs Streak. This forecast does not include ongoing costs in Iraq which are not only important, but expensive. I don't understand the rigid approach to tax cuts. I also understand that many will call the left's objections hypocritical, but would contend that the left usually has tried to pay for its spending. The right doesn't like that method--raising taxes, but it strikes Streak as better than just spending.