I'd like to add some thoughts to Muzikal203's important diary on Barney Frank's debate moment here:
Rep. Barney Frank puts forth a crucial and understated argument that gets at the hypocrisy of the supposed anti-government movement, a movement that essentially scoffs at the notion that government can be of service to its own people. This is the first time I've seen a Democratic official point out the obvious, that tax cuts aren't an insta-cure for society's woes, and that government is not just capable but responsible for providing necessary public services.
It's amusing to me that the same people who believe government is so inherently flawed that it can't even help its own people get health care or better education, also think government can magically transform fascist societies into thriving democracies by virtue of having an awesome military. That's not merely a disconnected argument, that sounds to me like a disassociation from reality.
The same party that has suddenly become the party of fiscal responsibility is the party that over the last eight years has turned a surplus into an extraordinary deficit and raised the national debt level by trillions of dollars. To not mention the Iraq war, which was a leisurely and unnecessary depletion of the treasury, in a discussion about wasteful spending is like not mentioning Sarah Palin in a discussion about political bimbos.