Bush now has decided that he's fiscally conservative.
you kind of have to be fiscally conservative after you blow through the bank accounts and max out all the cards.
It's fair to say that Bush has not used his veto power to reign in fiscal spending (i.e., Congressional pork add-ons.)
And it's fair to say that Bush has increased the debt by reducing taxes in a time of war in Afghanistan and Iraq, and of increased homeland security spending, that either reducing or eliminating the tax breaks would have offset.
But it's not fair to absolve the Democrats who pushed for this pork spending, and blame the debt completely on W. Bush and/or the Republicans.
As I've said before, 7 of the top 10 donors to the Republicans are also among the top 10 donors to the Democrats. The same influences that push for these measures, offshoring, free trade, open borders, etc., leverage these things from members of both parties.
Let's be honest, and admit that there was a huge national debt way before W. Bush ever took office.
Clinton gets credit for balancing the budget for a few years in the latter part of his term. But that was because the Republicans took over the Senate in 1994, and their "Contract With America" that got them elected included balancing the budget. If Clinton hadn't changed gears mid-presidency and adopted a priority of balancing the budget, he would have been voted out in 1996.
Likewise, Republicans elected Bush expecting a fiscally responsible Republican, and instead got a president who doesn't utilize his veto power over congressional spending. On this and many issues, W. Bush departs from true conservatism.
