From one who watches these things:
Today’s Washington Post — in an article about misleading campaign claims, of all things — said “‘One of Bush’s most effective lines on the stump is that he is running ‘against a fellow who’s promised over 2.2 trillion new dollars of federal spending so far.’The Kerry campaign disputes that estimate — and Bush’s spending proposals top $3 trillion, according to administration figures.’”
This is wrong on two counts. First, Bush proposed $2 trillion in spending (Social Security transition costs) and $1 trillion in tax cuts — NOT $3 trillion in spending. Second, while the writers add Bush’s tax cuts to his spending total, they DO NOT add Kerry’s $800 billion in tax cuts to his spending total. That error accounts for all of the difference between the Bush and Kerry estimates, and negates the writer’s entire argument.
Did I mention that the article is about misleading claims?