Just doing more of whatever it takes

Last week, embattled Louisiana Senator David Vitter was practically laughed out of the room at a Republican luncheon where he suggested that the party work on "rebranding" itself under the mantle of fiscal conservatism. Vitter was rightfully seen as grasping at a means to shift the conversation away from moral issues which are.. a bit of a problem for him as of late.

But today, it seems that Vitter's words did not exactly fall upon deaf ears. One Republican leader took Vitter's advice today and made a fiscally conservative policy decision.

WASHINGTON - In a major blow to Louisiana, President Bush threatened Wednesday to veto long-awaited legislation with billions of dollars to shore up hurricane protection along the Gulf Coast.

House and Senate negotiators struck a bargain late last week on a $21 billion reauthorization of the Water Resources Development Act and it is expected to come to a vote before lawmakers leave for the month-long August recess.

But the Office of Management and Budget sent a letter to Capitol Hill on Wednesday saying that the price tag is too high and shifted too much of the cost of new projects from local governments and onto federal taxpayers.

Whoops! But fear not, flood-prone Louisianians threatened by the compassionless fiscal conservatism of David Vitter and George Bush. Rushing to your rescue at this very moment comes... Senator David Vitter.

"I am stunned by the President's WRDA veto threat. And I have one basic response - I will enthusiastically work to override his veto," said Sen. David Vitter, R-La., in an unusually harsh rebuke to the leader of his own party. "Considering the well-publicized criticism of the way the administration handled this (Hurricane Katrina) disaster, I'm stunned. I'm afraid the promise the president made to the nation in Jackson Square comes across as hollow today."

Can we call this a re-rebranding?