"President Bush’s goal of cutting in half a projected $500 billion federal deficit within five years is being dismissed as too timid by conservatives, unachievable by analysts and laughable by Democrats."A month later, January 2004, CNN almost laughed at the President:
"Like a cowboy-boot wearing David Blaine, President Bush has promised to perform an amazing feat of prestidigitation: he’s going to saw the whopping federal budget deficit in half in just five short years.For sure, the bozos need to show more fiscal discipline. But, CNN, CBS and all the rest of the liberal media have completely ignored the fact that the deficit has dropped to $250 billion, achieving Bush's goals three years early.
But some observers warn the budget proposal he will submit Feb. 2, which will include projections of a greatly reduced deficit by 2009, will be little more than smoke and mirrors — unless he and Congress can show a lot more fiscal discipline than they have recently."