President "Heckuva job, Brownie" Bush has cast himself as the defender of the poor against the greedy working class, which doesn't deserve help with their health insurance bills. I don't see how else you read statements like this.

Sometime before its Columbus Day recess, the Senate will vote on legislation to raise the ceiling on the national debt to nearly $10 trillion. Treasury Secretary Paulson wrote congressional leaders on Wednesday that the statutory limit of $8.965 trillion would be reached Oct. 1. Last week, the Senate Finance Committee OK'ed boosting the debt limit by $850 billion to $9.815 trillion. The House did likewise without a roll call vote (under the so-called 'Gephardt' or 'Hastert' rule) when it adopted the fiscal 2008 budget resolution in May.

According to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, President Bush reiterated his veto threat for any SCHIP expansion today. His objection now is that: "I want...the Congress to be focused on making sure poor children get the health insurance they were promised. Instead, Congress has made a decision to expand [SCHIP] eligibility up to $80,000." But Congress has never made that decision. Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA):