Service cuts . . . er, Tax cuts for everyone!

At last, somebody cuts to the heart of the matter. Thomas Friedman's column in the Times this morning puts it best: whenever Bush says "tax cuts," what he really means are "service cuts."

Now, while very few people are in favor of more taxes, most Americans---that is, pretty much anyone who isn't going to be one of the lucky $100,000 beneficiaries of the latest tax cuts---would rather see deficit relief and more services provided by the government. And anyone who thinks that more services will be provided with this latest round of tax cuts is likely imitating an ostrich.

If the Democrats can frame the Republican treatment of the economy as a choice between "taxes and services," they might actually have a chance of going somewhere in 2004. But since the Democrats lately seem to have less tactical sense than a herd of lemmings, who knows.