Why is it that Saturday Night Live applies more critical
judgment to Fred Thompson’s statements than the Wall Street Journal does?
The WSJ’s Amy Schatz lapses into full-on stenographer
mode today:
Mr. Thompson has advocated reining in discretionary spending and has been
particularly critical of the Medicare drug-benefits program that Congress
passed four years ago. He said he wouldn’t have voted for it.
"I know this probably isn’t a real popular thing to say, but we couldn’t
afford this prescription-drug bill," Mr. Thompson said last week on a
swing through Iowa, home of Republican Sen. Charles Grassley, who helped push
the program through Congress. "We basically put a $72 trillion commitment
on top of an already-broken entitlement system. Not a responsible thing to
do."
Yep, $72 trillion. He said that. It’s utter
bollocks, but he said it all the same, and he meant it.
It would be great if the next president of the United States had a basic level
of numeracy. I think we can rule Fred Thompson out, but if we start down this
path, will there be any candidates left? Indeed, has there been a president
since Nixon with a real intuitive grasp of numbers?