State budget worth the wait

THUMBS-UP: Albeit five days after they had been scheduled to adjourn, state lawmakers finally approved a $77 billion state budget Thursday that, like any spending plan, surely has its flaws, but keeps taxes level and spending moderate at a time when the economy is teetering on the edge of recession. Republicans won several key battles along the way, slashing Gov. Timothy M. Kaine's proposal to pull $425 million from the state's rainy-day fund, halving the $56 million he planned to spend on an expanded pre-kindergarten program and clearing the way for an additional $1 billion for primary and secondary education. Despite twice extending the General Assembly session to allow extra time to work on the budget, lawmakers avoided the bitter partisanship that marked negotiating sessions in previous years, when tax increases had Republicans sparring among themselves. It was the biggest test so far for the Senate, which switched from Republican to Democratic control after last fall's election. Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle showed skill in working together to produce a spending plan that absent greater initial scrutiny appears to have been worth the slight wait.

THUMBS-DOWN: For all of the conservative angst over the candidacy of presumptive Republican presidential nominee John McCain, the Arizona senator registers strong marks in at least one category that ought to be dear to champions of fiscal prudence. He wants a one-year moratorium on earmarks, the method by which Washington politicians haul home big federal bucks for pet projects and constituents' favor. Democratic Sens. Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton concur that it's a dandy idea. But here's the rub. Hillary expects to ship back $266 million in earmarks she garnered this year for her adopted home state, according to Citizens Against Government Waste. Obama is no earmark slouch: His take for Illinois is $126 million. McCain, on the other hand, shuns earmarks. A politician who leaves the money and runs- Go figure. Of course, while the talk of halting earmarks all around makes for great stump stuff, few people are under the delusion that it will translate to action. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid delayed a vote Thursday on the moratorium, and Beltway insiders expected it to fail.

THUMBS-DOWN: President Bush has swayed far from conservative ideals on a wide range of fronts, but has remained, in perception at least, firmly tethered to the gun rights lobby. That link appears to be fraying, although precisely whether that's the case is anybody's guess. Solicitor General Paul Clement has petitioned the U.S. Supreme Court asking it to reconsider a Circuit Court decision overturning a 30-year-old gun ban in Washington, D.C. Since Clement answers to Bush, the perception is that his petition as the administration's backing. Murk is cast over the whole affair by, of all people, Vice President Dick Cheney. He signed a brief along with 55 senators and 250 House members urging the high court to uphold the Circuit Court decision lifting the D.C. gun ban. So where is Bush in all this. Syndicated columnist Robert Novak says with Cheney and the gun rights crowd. He attributes the mess to "disorganization and weakness" in the Bush presidency. We can't argue that one. When the president and vice president - particularly these two - appear to take opposite positions on an issue as hot as this one, something is dreadfully wrong on Pennsylvania Avenue.