I was happy and surprised to hear, for the first time since Reagan, a major party presidential candidate actually talking about cutting federal spending. And his opponent didn't really disagree (and, indeed, Obama has recently talked about taking a hard look at all current federal programs). I'm not a fan of either candidate, but this is heartening.

In a brief post earlier today, I wrote that it was heartening that both McCain and, to a lesser extent, Obama, are talking about cutting federal spending. Various commenters suggested that I was being naive in thinking that either candidate will cut spending if elected.

The commenters miss my point, so let me clarify. I'm not heartened because I have any expectations of either McCain or Obama. Rather, I'm heartened because they are both opportunistic politicians, and they wouldn't be talking about cutting spending unless they thought that this is what the public wants.

At least since Bill Clinton rolled the Republicans in the great budget standoff of 1995, and especially since the Republicans almost lost Congress in 1998, both parties have tried to outbid each other for the public's votes, fiscal responsibility be damned. I'm hoping that the political winds are shifting.

And by the way, while I don't have much faith in McCain, he does get credit from me for being one of the few Senate Republicans to vote against the largest expansion of government in recent history, Bush's Medicare drug program.