Out of Gas

Jonathan Weisman writes in The Washington Post: "An executive order will tell federal agencies to disregard pet projects that are designated in reports that accompany spending laws but lack the force of law. And Bush promised to veto spending bills that do not cut the number and cost of such earmarks in half.

"But neither move would take effect until fiscal 2009, which begins in October. If as expected, Democratic leaders hold back spending bills this fall in the hope that a Democratic president will be in office next year, Bush may never get a chance to make good on his promise."

Charlie Savage writes in the Boston Globe: "Government-spending watchdogs yesterday swiftly condemned President Bush's announcement of a new initiative against congressional earmarking of funds for pet projects, saying that the White House's plan was empty rhetoric because it will not kick in until Bush is about to leave office.

"'He had an opportunity to really take a stand . . . and we're disappointed that he didn't take that opportunity,' said Steve Ellis, vice president of Taxpayers of Common Sense. 'Unfortunately, this is the standard Washington game where you do something to make it appear like you are making a difference, whereas in reality you're not doing anything.'"

Fact Check

"The Iraqis launched a surge of their own," Bush said, "and today, this grass-roots surge includes more than 80,000 Iraqi citizens who are fighting the terrorists."

But Glenn Kessler writes in The Washington Post: "The citizens Bush mentioned are actually Sunni neighborhood-watch groups that have been hired by the U.S. military for $300 a month. Military officials said they are unsure what will happen when these 'citizens' are no longer paid.

"Indeed, Sunni officials say many Sunnis would like to join the Iraqi military or police forces but are prevented from doing so by the Shiite-led government. Meanwhile, the leader of Iraq's largest Shiite party in December criticized the groups for not submitting to government authority.

"There is also some uncertainty about the number of Iraqis involved in the effort."

Here's one of Bush's most quotable quotes from last night: "Today, because of the progress just described, we are implementing a policy of 'return on success,' and the surge forces we sent to Iraq are beginning to come home."

But Alex Koppelman blogs for Salon that, as he reported in September, "the withdrawal of these forces isn't tied to success in the way the president pretends. In fact, he had little choice but to begin these drawdowns, and his top generals -- including Gen. David Petraeus -- have not made a secret of that."

And on the economy: "Some in Washington argue that letting tax relief expire is not a tax increase," Bush said. "Try explaining that to 116 million American taxpayers who would see their taxes rise by an average of $1,800. . . . This budget will keep America on track for a surplus in 2012."

The Post's Steve Mufson and Jonathan Weisman write: "Bush makes the potential expiration of his tax cuts sound like a big deal for the average American, but his estimate of the financial impact is skewed because the cuts have disproportionately helped the very richest citizens. That fact boosts the average cost of reinstating the taxes, a circumstance that doesn't reflect what the typical household might experience.