This is one of those potentially devastating should-be-a-front page stories disguised as an op-ed piece. It’s never failed to amaze me that, election after election, the military overwhelming supports the Republicans when they continue to screw them like this.

Presidents eager for budget savings have frequently proposed cuts in Impact Aid. Congress has almost always resisted. What makes Mr. Bush's proposal so potentially devastating is that it comes when he is marshaling the nation for war, when the federal government is running up record budget deficits, when most states are struggling with huge budget deficits of their own, when school districts across the country are already suffering financially, and when both houses of Congress are controlled by the president's party.

Who could imagine that in a wartime atmosphere we would consider leaving the children of the military behind?

Honestly? A lot of us. Impact Aid is one of those pesky military programs that doesn’t line the pockets of defense contractors.