That’s what’s going on here. Georgie Boy is threatening to veto a bill that benefits health, labor and education because, supposedly, the bills cost too much money. In the meantime, Bush is pressing for billions and billions for his failed Iraq War. We can see through his failed rhetoric, and we must respond. From the Associated Press:

President Bush, escalating his budget battle with Congress, on Tuesday vetoed a spending measure for health and education programs prized by congressional Democrats.

He also signed a big increase in the Pentagon’s non-war budget although the White House complained it contained “some unnecessary spending.”

The president’s action was announced on Air Force One as Bush flew to New Albany, Ind., on the Ohio River across from Louisville, Ky., for a speech criticizing the Democratic-led Congress on its budget priorities.

The White House said the $606 billion education and health was loaded with 2,000 earmarks — lawmaker-sponsored projects that critics call pork-barrel spending — which Bush wants stripped from the bill.

. . .

Rep. David Obey, the Democratic chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, pounced immediately on Bush’s veto.

“This is a bipartisan bill supported by over 50 Republicans,” Obey said. “There has been virtually no criticism of its contents. It is clear the only reason the president vetoed this bill is pure politics.”

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Bush “again vetoed a bipartisan and fiscally responsible bill that addresses the priorities of the American people: education for our children, assistance in paying skyrocketing energy costs, veterans’ health care, and other urgent health research on cancer and other serious medical problems. At the same time, President Bush and his congressional allies demand hundreds of billions of dollars for the war in Iraq — none of it paid for.”

Since winning re-election, Bush has sought to cut the labor, health and education measure below the prior year level. But lawmakers have rejected the cuts. The budget that Bush presented in February sought almost $4 billion in cuts to this year’s bill.

Note those bold words. Since winning reelection Mr. Bush has sought to cut funds that benefit American citizens, and has sought to increase funds for his failed folly in Iraq. This article does OK at pointing that out, but we need to send that message out loud and clear. Bush would rather spend money to waterboard, but not to educate our children. He’d rather spend money to pump money into the pockets of Blackwater than to spend money to make sure our children have healthcare. We’ve got a real problem with priorities here, and someone needs to ask these very important questions to Republican candidates.

Mr. Romney, do you favor spending money to keep American Children healthy, if spending that money limits your ability to kill Iraqi citizens?

Mr. McCain, do you favor spending money to educate our children if that means you cannot waterboard as many IRaqis as you wish to?

Those are the questions we need to ask. Dammit! The sad thing is, I have no faith that the Democrats are going to stand up to Mr. Bush’s unfortunate priorities. I’ll bet they’re going to let him have his way, shortchange the most needy among Americans in favor of his policy of rampant killing in another part of the globe.