http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0708/11553.html

John McCain is going to balance the budget without raising taxes – in four years. I think I’ve heard it all. Typical Republican malarkey. You can have it all and it won’t cost you a fricking dime. We’ve heard this Republican song and dance since Ronald Reagan was president. He was going to cut taxes, curtail spending and balance the budget. But what did we get instead, record deficits. And in order to cut into the deficits, Reagan was forced to raise taxes – a fact Republicans like to gloss over. How stupid are these people? I don't get it, I really don't get it.

It's ironic when you think about it -- George W. Bush, the most fiscally irresponsible president in history. Remember when he could actually look the American people in the eyes and say he was a fiscal conservative? That lasted until all the Clinton surpluses were spent. This is a man whose spending priorities will take his successor years to clean up. John McCain must be furious with George W. Bush for taking this campaign issue away from Republicans. For the GOP to try and claim the mantle of good fiscal stewards doesn’t pass the laugh test.

They will just cut all the programs that actually help people, claiming it's all too expensive, ignoring the war and the cost implications of their financial deregulation.

That is if the GOP can actually keep the White House this November.

But we all know that something really disasterous has to happen for that to happen.

Oh, so he IS going to end the war, NOT! I'll just bet he's promising to do this with millionaire tax breaks in place. So much for the party of fiscal responsibility.

Rove is in charge now:

Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) plans to promise on Monday that he will balance the federal budget by the end of his first term by curbing wasteful spending and overhauling entitlement programs, including Social Security, his advisers told Politico.

The vow to take on Social Security puts McCain in a political danger zone that thwarted President Bush on the top domestic priority of his second term.

"In the long-term, the only way to keep the budget balanced is successful reform of the large spending pressures in Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid," the McCain campaign says in a policy paper to be released Monday.


Called it. Shock Doctrine at it's finest. Either wait for it to happen, or cause it, then use that pressure to roll back ideological problem policies.

"by curbing wasteful spending and overhauling entitlement programs"

In other words, everything will be gutted except the military.

Even so, balancing the budget will never be accomplished as long as the Bush tax cuts that benefit the ultra wealthy are kept in place.