The Discipline of War

Submitting his first bill for the war in Iraq yesterday, President Bush warned:

Business as usual on Capitol Hill can't go on during this time of war. And by that I mean the supplemental [appropriation bill] should not be viewed as an opportunity to add spending that is unrelated, unwise, and unnecessary. Every dollar we spend must serve the interests of our nation, and the interests of our nation in this supplemental is to win this war and to be able to keep the peace.

Once the war is over, presumably, Congress can stop worrying about using tax dollars to "serve the interests of our nation" and get back to its usual pattern of "unwise" and "unnecessary" spending.