Sometimes when I hear about the latest White House scheme, I’m not sure if it’s from The Onion or the AP. Alas, the news is almost always real.
Fitting comfortably in the you’ve-got-to-be-kidding-me category is this AP account of the Bush White House asking for $1 million to train administration officials to serve in his second term as president.
If you’re thinking that this doesn’t make any sense because he hasn’t won a second term, then you understand the problem perfectly.
President Bush is making an unprecedented request to use up to $1 million budgeted for a possible presidential transition to train top officials who would join his administration if he should win a second term.
The proposal, which will require Congress’ approval, is the first time a president has sought to use public transition funds to prepare officials to enter a re-elected administration, White House officials and others say. Critics say the money should come from existing agency budgets, especially as Bush is proposing to curb spending for many programs because of soaring federal deficits.
Simply breathtaking. The White House has defended the request by stressing the importance of having trained officials available in case Bush wins in November. Why, then, have other administrations from both parties managed to start second terms without this kind of expenditure?