Bush to Miss Deadline for Budget Deficit Forecast

[cal04]

The White House will miss a July 15 deadline to release a new budget report expected to show improvement in the deficit ahead of next month's Republican political convention, officials said on Friday.


Administration officials denied the delay was politically motivated to give the White House budget office more time to incorporate better-than-expected tax revenue figures into their forecasts. They said they would release the new budget projections as soon as they are completed.

Release of the report could provide Bush with a political boost at the Republican convention, which opens Aug. 30, by allowing him to cite progress reining in record budget deficits.

Officials said the report is expected to show a smaller deficit this year than the White House initially forecast, despite extra Iraq (news - web sites) war spending. They said the report will also show Bush is on track to cut the deficit in half over the next five years.

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=584&e=2&u=/nm/20040709/pl_nm/bush_budget_dc

[GreenPartyVoter]

1. What a surprise.

[shoelace414]

2. cut it in half as a percentage of the GDP

Not cut it in half as you would think.

[shoelace414]

3. and

the budget estimates assume tax cuts expire

[underpants]

4. I can smell the fuzzy math from here

So they AREN'T releasing this good news in time for a political boost?

Bullshit! Either the numbers are completely false (they will release them so there is no time for anyone to dissect them before they are on the air claiming success) OR the numbers aren't changeable.

They do everything for image and politics, everything.

[NewJeffCT]

5. well, he's not a numbers guy, remember?

So, running tape on an adding machine may take him a bit longer than most!

[papau]

6. God - we KNOW the OVER-Estimated deficit so as to show "progress" - is

the media so stupid as to report the new Estimate without saying this.

Hell - we also know the Iraq/Afghan monies are being shifted about and indeed to a large extent not acknowledged as likely in these forecasts. Will the media not mention this?

Or is the media in the back pocket of the right wing GOP....

Sorry I asked ....

sigh.....

[LiberalEsto]

7. Missed deadline

"The White House will miss a July 15 deadline to release a new budget report expected to show improvement in the deficit ahead of next month's Republican political convention, officials said on Friday."

And they have the nerve to complain about Kerry missing votes in the Senate! What, exactly, is Boy George doing at his job? Vacationing?

[newyawker99]

9. Hi LiberalEsto!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[cthrumatrix]

8. awol values again on display...our CEO is a crook