If it weren't so ridiculous, it'd be hilarious

Yesterday, the White House announced that it had removed $17 billion from the proposed 2010 budget. Republican congressmen were quick to point out that, despite how big $17 billion may sound, it only represented approximately 0.5% of the total $3.5 trillion budget and 1.2% of the planned $1.4 trillion deficit. As Republican Senator Judd Gregg put it,

"It's as if this were the Gobi Desert or the Sahara Desert and you came along and you took a few pieces of sand"

What a refreshing take. Republicans want to make sure that the American public isn't sidetracked by announcements like these and focuses on the big picture. They want to make sure that the people are well informed and don't judge the administration's budget based on the removal of items that have an almost insignificant impact on the whole thing. Transparency in politics! That is great, let's focus on what really matters and....wait, hold on, the Hypocrisy phone is ringing.

OK, I'm back. And I have some disturbing news.

Remember, that whole stimulus package thing that not a single House Republican voted for? I think it had something to do with all the "frivolous spending" that was included in the nearly $900 billion package. In fact, they submitted a list itemizing all the wasteful spending included in the bill. Yeah, that list only represented approximately 2.1% of that bill. But, apparently that was enough to categorize the entire bill as an exercise in government waste.

So, let's recap: When the White House makes efforts to reduce spending, 1.2% is but an insignificant fraction. When the White House wants to spend to bolster the economy, 2.1% represents the whole.

Either the GOP handbook declares 2% as the line of significance or this miiiiight just be a little political posturing.