The current Republicans have most definitly lived pretty high on the hog the last 8 years. They of course say it is only because of the war.
That's a very weak argument when they try to blame it all on the war. I seem to recall rolling blackouts during the summer of 2001 in California, which was the beginning of the energy crisis under Bush 43. While Bush & Cheney had Iraq in their sites from the moment they took the oath, the war didn't actually start until 2003, so it's impossible to blame all of this out-of-control spending on the war. These guys were spending and lining their pockets from their corporate interests, particularly Cheney, from day one.
