Brilliant non-boulevardier Borepatch caught up with the Czar at the Castle lounge where he ordered (and apparently enjoyed) a drink called the Bourbon Scorpion. He talked a bit about the new budget, and scribbled some notes down on a cocktail napkin. The Czar reprints his notes (which were written in capital letters in ballpoint ink) as follows:

FY 2010 budget was $2.3T. 5% of this is $115B. This would be a trifle compared to the deficit, but nobody in the country believes the Fed.Gov has done ANYTHING to cut back so far.

Cutting EVERYTHING by a bit falls into the US Department Of Categorical Imperative. This needs to be first. Then departments that serve no one go under the axe. Then entitlements.

But the people should not be asked to make sacrifices until our government and special interests do.

Getting my populist Wookie Suit on.

There you have it. Mind you, we also saw Dr. J. whispering something to Ghettoputer while those two guzzled 151 Rum Yoo-Hoos.

By the way, we are somewhat concerned that Borepatch does, in fact, own a Wookie suit.

The Czar of Muscovy

Божію Поспѣшествующею Милостію Мы, Дима Грозный Императоръ и Самодержецъ Всероссiйскiй, цѣсарь Московскiй. The Czar was born in the steppes of Russia in 1267, and was cheated out of total control of all Russia upon the death of Boris Mikhailovich, who replaced Alexander Yaroslav Nevsky in 1263. However, in 1283, our Czar was passed over due to a clerical error and the rule of all Russia went to his second cousin Daniil (Даниил Александрович), whom Czar still resents. As a half-hearted apology, the Czar was awarded control over Muscovy, inconveniently located 5,000 miles away just outside Chicago. He now spends his time seething about this and writing about other stuff that bothers him.