The Bush Deficit Bamboozle

[CLANG]

http://krugman.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/07/19/the-bush-deficit-bamboozle/

OK, even by contemporary standards, this is rich: the official Republican stance is now apparently that Bush left behind a budget that was in pretty good shape. Mitch McConnell:

The last year of the Bush administration, the deficit as a percentage of gross domestic product was 3.2 percent, well within the range of what most economists think is manageable. A year and a half later, it’s almost 10 percent.

They really do think that we’re idiots.

So, that 3.2 percent number comes from here (pdf). Where’s the bamboozle? Let me count the ways.

[Lasher]

1. When Bill Clinton left office we were 7 years away from entirely paying off our national debt.

Jesus, how can these fuckers dare preach to anyone about fiscal responsibility?

[louis-t]

2. Stupidface also promised to "halve the deficit in 5 years"

Remember that?

[FiveGoodMen]

3. Perhaps he meant "have the deficit in 5 years"

As in, all that money would be his.