Yeah, and Clinton did some sleight of hand to push budget items into the future so he could claim his surplus. So? I used budget numbers from a history chart that goes back to 1940. They have a list of revenues, and they have a list of outlays, both in current and constant dollars.

If you want, make it six years back. Or seven. Doesn't change my point. In any case, the total cost of both wars to date (in the almost eleven years since 2001) is a bit over $1 trillion. The ANNUAL Federal budget has increased by that amount in just the past three years. Obviously, it's not a major factor.

There is no possible way to dance around the fact that government growth - under Republicans and Democrats - has been monstrously overdone. Unfortunately it's fairly plain that most politicians would rather risk the destruction of the economy than risk their own careers.