Part-Time Republican Deficit Hawks

Orrin Hatch has tacitly admitted that Republicans care about the deficit only when Democrats are in power:

As for their newfound worries about big government health expansions, they essentially say: That was then, this is now. Six years ago, "it was standard practice not to pay for things," said Sen. Orrin Hatch.

The Republicans also did not care bout the budget deficit during the administrations of Ronald Reagan and George Bush the First. But they went positively batshit about it during the administrations of Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton and now, Barack Obama.

Republicans: Deficit hawks when they are not in charge. But that is consistent, ina way, because they are chicken hawks when they are too old to serve.

(H/T)