Reflecting the Priorities of the American People?

Friday witnessed yet another attempt by the W, Rove and Co to paint Dems as foolish. That's not news, but what's in the bill the President has sworn to veto is rather interesting (and would only be the second bill he would veto if he does).

The question I have for the blogisphere is thus: Does this bill reflect the will of the people, or is it politics as usual as I am almost certain that pork is laden in any bill such as this?

Have a look:

Having noted that, this supplemental appropriations bill actually cuts funding for these very people. For democracy- building efforts, it cuts that by $40 million. It cuts $100 million out of efforts to build local governing capacity. It builds -- it cuts jobs programs by $30 million, and I just mentioned the PRTs -- provisional reconstruction teams -- cuts $33 million out of that, and another $20 million out of programs for the rule of law.

Now, while cutting this funding for peace and prosperity, here's what this bill -- and this is a emergency supplemental military bill -- here are some of the items in there: $60.4 million for salmon fisheries; $74 million for peanut storage; $100 million for citrus assistance; $120 million for shrimp and menhaden fishing; $400 million for rural schools; and $500 million for a firefighting fund that already has an available balance of $831 million. These may be priorities, but they are not part of an emergency supplemental for the military.

By the way, if "day after day, the money is running out like sands through an hour glass," whose fault is that? If we weren't in Iraq in the first place, we wouldn't have this tick tock problem. But really, Tony the Snow job is laying it on thick. These are suggested budget cuts. We are already hemoraging cash to Iraq like dope evaporates in the opium den. These aren't real cuts, are they Tony?

Q Can I just ask on that, before we go to other things? When you said the cuts that it makes, is that cuts from existing spending --

MR. SNOW: That's cuts from our request.

Q Oh, from your request.

MR. SNOW: No, these are requests that we had made.

So, really Tony. You are playing politics, a game you suggest that when others do it, it's dastardly, no?