Priorities, priorities.

Today President Bush vetoed a spending bill that would provide roughly $150.7 billion to the Departments of Education, Labor, Health, and Human Services. But he signed a spending bill that provides $450.9 billion to the Pentagon.

A little later in the day, without a trace of irony, he gave an economics speech that compared Congress to a “teenager with a new credit card.”

So let me get this straight:

(reckless teenager) = ($$) x (jobs, education, and health care)

(responsible grownup) = ($$$$$$) x (war)

Hmm…most kids I know can figure out what’s wrong with withholding funds for jobs, education and health care while giving half a trillion dollars to the Pentagon. I guess I’d rather have a teenager with a credit card in charge of the national budget than an adult with completely nutty priorities.

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Why did Pat Robertson really endorse Rudy Giuliani?

Far right Christian extremist Pat Robertson has endorsed Rudy Giuliani, despite ideological differences such as Giuliani’s support for gay rights and abortion. Robertson certainly deserves credit for being willing to break rank from other prominent conservatives who threatened to form a 3rd party if a pro-choice Republican (read: Giuliani) gets the nod. But why Giuliani? Here’s what Robertson had to say:

Rudy Giuliani took a city that was in decline and considered ungovernable and reduced its violent crime, revitalized its core, dramatically lowered its taxes, cut through a welter of bureaucratic regulations, and did so in the spirit of bipartisanship which is so urgently needed in Washington today.

Maybe. However, Robertson gets it wrong so much of the time that I’m having a hard time swallowing this. (Also, it’s a little hilarious to hear Pat Freakin’ Robertson call for bipartisanship in Washington…) So I find myself questioning the motives of one who is so virulently anti-gay, anti-woman, and anti-democracy.

You see, Pat Robertson has already stated that he believes that only Christians and Jews are fit to govern America. Consider this in light of the fact that Robertson views Mormonism as an un-Christian cult, and maybe the simplest answer is also the best one: Robertson doesn’t believe that Romney, a Mormon, is as fit to govern as Giuliani, a Catholic.

What if Mitt Romney happened to be an evangelical Christian, remaining identical in every other respect of his life and political career? Who would Robertson support then? Does anybody actually believe that anti-gay and anti-abortion Pat F. Robertson would’ve endorsed Giuliani over Romney? Yeah…me neither.

I should hasten to add that as Republicans go, I’ve got no particular problem with Giuliani or Romney, in and of themselves. However, I do have a big problem with religious discrimination, especially in light of Galatians 3.28: There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus. I hope Pat Robertson has had a legitimate change of heart and is simply supporting Giuliani for reasons of policy, despite all evidence to the contrary.