WHEN WE GET BEHIND CLOSED DOORS:

Senate Votes to Reduce Bush's Tax Cut Plan (DAVID E. ROSENBAUM, 3/26/03, NY Times)

Capitalizing on concerns about the costs of war in Iraq, Senate Democrats won a vote today to reduce President Bush's proposed tax cut by half, a rare political defeat for a wartime president.

The vote, 51 to 48 with three Republicans breaking ranks and voting against the president, complicates the prospects for enactment of the main element of his economic program, a $726 billion tax cut over 10 years.

The Senate's action showed the willingness of Democrats, even during a war, to challenge the president head-on over domestic priorities. And it was evidence of unease within the president's own party about cutting taxes in the face of rising budget deficits and the unknown cost of disarming, occupying and rebuilding Iraq.

Senator George V. Voinovich of Ohio, one of the Republicans who voted to limit the tax cuts, said: "I happen to believe that we'll have to have troops in there for one year or two years. You're going to at least probably have to spend $2 billion a month next year or next budget just to provide security there."

Both Bill Frist and the media biffed this one. Frist should have kept the Senate in session this weekend, as the White House asked, to get the Budget done with the full cuts. However, amendment will add back some tax cuts and then the conference committee--and here's where the November wins matter--which will be GOP dominated, will crank the actual cut back up at least over $500 billion. That's more than anyone thought the President could get when he made his initial proposal and a big, big victory, particularly given the mammoth cut of 2001. Posted by Orrin Judd at March 26, 2003 2:41 PM