Free Market Bush?

The WashPost reports that the Bush administration is telling the airlines to make money on their own. However, that's not to say that Bush is being overly free-market friendly. He just wants a smaller bailout than Congress does. From the Post:

"The administration does not oppose assistance for the airlines, but clearly given the factors that have affected the airlines—such as fuel oil and the limited impact the war has had—the administration believes that the amount that the Congress is considering now is excessive," Fleischer told reporters at a briefing.

According to one source, the prez may be good for $900 million, but Congress wants to shell out as much as $3.5 billion in emergency aid to the airlines; it also wants to tie such largess to capping airline exec compensation. This stuff should go up for a vote next week.