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Byron York has a characteristically smart piece on Obama's deficits and the broad-based tax increases likely to come. But he probably gives John McCain too much credit. McCain, like Obama, has complained about deficits. But overall, his critique of spending was limited to earmarks. He complained about bear DNA and expensive helicopters while spending rises across the board. McCain did vote against the Medicare prescription drug benefit, but that was partly because it didn't include price controls.

As I've said before, going after pork is fine when you want to make the point of how wasteful and ineffective a lot of government spending is. But the Republican message on spending is going to have to go far beyond where McCain was willing to go if it is ever to become serious.