It's the Whigs' fault

You know, I suspected this.

Sen. Tom DeLay, R-Indicted, recent former majority leader, knows who to blame for the deficit, the economy's problems, unchecked congressional spending and even perhaps 9/11. Oh, yeah, and the bird flu and hurricanes. It's the Democrats.

But you all knew that, didn't you?

This article in the San Jose Mercury News (via Knight Ridder) explains it all.

Republicans may control Congress and the White House, but a leading House Republican says they can't be blamed for runaway federal spending on their watch.

Blame it on the war, said Rep. Tom DeLay, R-Texas. Or the Democrats.

"The 9-11 recovery, the war on terror, our homeland security buildup and related priorities have required Congress to spend more than we otherwise would have," the former majority leader of the House of Representatives told an audience Thursday at the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank.

"These things needed doing, and they needed doing quickly. Yes, they were expensive, but they were necessary and time-sensitive, and, given the circumstances, we were right to err on the side of security over thrift."

He also blamed Democrats, complaining that they haven't offered any suggestions on how to cut spending. He said they created a congressional budget process that makes it difficult to cut spending.

"We've been operating off a Congress designed by Democrats," he said.

Just exactly how long can the GOP go on blaming someone else for its failures? It's beginning to sound like the little kid who blames space aliens for breaking the lamp. It's not MY fault. It's those nasty space aliens, uh, Democrats. It's always someone else.

Problem is, the Republicans took control of Congress in 1995, 10 years ago. They've controlled the White House for 5 years.

How long, Tom, how long?

Even conservatives (at least some) are beginning to wonder. From the same article:

J. William Lauderback, the executive vice president of the American Conservative Union, challenged DeLay's version of congressional spending history. He told DeLay that he ignored the fact that only one-third of the rise in federal spending under Republicans stemmed from security.

Will the GOP ever begin to take responsibility for their failures?

My guess is no.

And so it goes.