Saudades de Clinton?

Face ao despesismo de Bush, Bruce Bartlett argumenta que Clinton foi economicamente mais conservador (ou, se preferirem, menos socialista) do que o actual presidente dos EUA:

The budget went from deficit to surplus on Clinton's watch and lower spending played a key role. He even abolished an entitlement program through welfare reform. By contrast, the deficit has exploded under Bush, in part because spending has risen well above what can reasonably be justified by the recession, Iraq, and homeland security. And he is the first Republican president in history to create a new entitlement program (for prescription drugs).

Furthermore, Clinton was a far more committed free trader than Bush has been. Perhaps Clinton was only interested in sucking up to multinational corporations to get campaign contributions, rather than actually achieving free trade. I don't care. He rammed the North American Free Trade Agreement through Congress - at considerable political cost to himself - while Bush imposed steel tariffs, raised agriculture subsidies, and in the process torpedoed the Doha Round of trade negotiations. It is a rare week when the Bush administration doesn't promulgate some new anti-trade measure - usually against China - under the guise of "dumping," "fair trade," or some other protectionist euphemism.