I think every time I read an article like this…

The Senate voted Thursday to allow the national debt to swell to nearly $9 trillion, preventing a first-ever default on U.S. Treasury notes.

The bill passed by a 52-48 vote. The increase to $9 trillion represents about $30,000 for every man, woman and child in the United States. The bill now goes to President Bush for his signature.

The measure allows the government to pay for the war in Iraq and finance Medicare and other big federal programs without raising taxes. It passed hours before the House was expected to approve another $91 billion to fund the war in Iraq and provide more aid to hurricane victims.
. . .
The debt limit will increase by $781 billion. It’s the fourth such move _ increasing the debt limit by a total of $3 trillion _ since Bush took office five years ago.

…I’m going to forego the obvious commentary and just print this quote from George W. Bush :

“I also want to talk about the national challenges we face. I believe that — I’m an optimist. I’m an optimist about our economy. And I should be. The fundamentals are strong, interest rates are low, monetary policy is sound. I can assure you I will work with Congress to control excessive federal spending. One reason they give the President the veto power is to make sure the Congress doesn’t over-spend. Over-spending could serve as an anchor on economic vitality and growth.”

We’re still waiting for the boy who cried wolf to veto something.