by Maisie Allison
Byron York previews the GOP's (misleading) talking points on the deficit:
The bottom line is that with baby boomers aging, entitlements will one day be a major budget problem. But today's deficit crisis is not one of entitlements. It was created by out-of-control spending on everything other than entitlements. The recent debt-ceiling agreement is supposed to put the brakes on that kind of spending, but leaders have so far been maddeningly vague on how they'll do it. Should Republicans base their platform on entitlement reform, or should they focus on the here and now — specifically, on undoing the damage done by Obama and his Democratic allies? In coming months, the answer will likely become clear: entitlements someday, but first things first.
His colleague Conn Carroll pounces, arguing that entitlement reform should be at the forefront of the Republican platform in 2012. Another colleague Philip Klein sides with Carroll. York responds. Yuval Levin complicates York's false choice, and concludes that it is "absolutely essential that the Republican presidential candidate next year is willing to make a case for some real reforms." Noting that it "certainly would be a mistake to duck the issue," Jennifer Rubin leaves the question to her readers.
(Chart: Heritage Foundation, via Carroll)
The Dish 