President Bush unveils his budget today. Note, please, that there is no mention of allocations for the Iraq war. And, yes, it is a war. When over 1,000 of our military personnel have been killed since the "end" of the invasion (which was declared "Mission Accomplished"), it's a war in my book.

So the Iraq military operation will continue to be a budget-buster in reality, while the Bush administration continues the fiction of an improving economy and a balanced budget (balanced on the back of a record-setting deficit). Yes, we live in la-la land.

This is Lysenkoism at its best.

Meanwhile, here at home: between 2000 and 2003, the number of people living in poverty rose 14 percent. Due to an improved economy, no doubt.