The Wall Street Journal (subscription) reports that there's a new budget strategy- tie the Defense, Veterans Administration, AND Labor/HHS/educaction bills together, and send them to the president. The package, which combines three bills into one, would total almost $675 billion in discretionary spending for the fiscal year that began Oct. 1. Of this, more than 70% is defense-related. The rest is expected to incorporate about $14 billion more for domestic priorities than Mr. Bush has requested. The plan is a significant tactical change. Democrats had been expected to treat the three bills individually and send them to the White House in a sequence that allowed the party to spell out its priorities. Supporters of the new, more-unified approach say it better serves the party's political message by melding national security and domestic issues. But they also concede it could prove a confrontational, gamble that risks alienating Republican moderates whose support is vital if Congress is to convince the White House to negotiate over domestic spending.