Foreign aid

It's not uncommon to hear well-intentioned critics grumble about how we should solve the nation's deficit problem by abolishing foreign aid. Problem is, the State Department's entire budget for a year comes to less than 3.6 percent of this year's projected $1.4 trillion deficit.

Nevertheless, the symbolism inherent in spending billions abroad as we struggle to balance our own books must not be dismissed. While the United States can't and mustn't ignore the rest of the world, surely re-examining how much we hand over to other countries -- some run by Third World kleptocrats -- must be part of any self-imposed fiscal discipline in Washington.

Thus it was heartening to see House Republicans set this week to pass a measure trimming $6.4 billion from the president's $51 billion request for foreign operations.

Unfortunately -- yet all too predictably -- the bill has little Democratic support in either house and likely won't survive the Senate.

Which once again begs the question: Where is it that Democrats are willing to actually cut spending? Anywhere?

Just asking.