Things that Make You Go.....What the....?

As opponents of the Bush administration go, I am pretty skeptical of many of the claims about them. I don't think we went into Iraq for oil. I don't think that the ties to Halliburton are a reason for the waste and abuse in the rebuilding. I didn't believe that the partial privatization of Social Security or the private nature of the Medicare drug program were intended to benefit industry.

But then you see this, and you gotta wonder.

The Interior Department's just-published budget plan, will let companies pump about $65 billion worth of oil and natural gas from federal territory over the next five years without paying any royalties to the government. Based on the administration figures, the government will give up more than $7 billion in payments between now and 2011.

I mean, its not like we could use the $7 billion.