...It may be good for those poor working mothers not to have the child-care money. Warning against the idea of child care as an entitlement, Sen. Rick Santorum, a Pennsylvania Republican, reassured us: "Making people struggle a little bit is not necessarily the worst thing."

...the administration believes that making high-income taxpayers "struggle a little bit" is definitely a bad thing.

... It would be hard to find a clearer example of why the administration is running into increasing bitterness and opposition over its Iraq policies. By refusing to budge on any of its tax-cutting priorities, the administration is putting many of those who agree that more money needs to be spent on Iraq in an impossible position. If they vote for the money, they know they will be adding to the deficit -- and creating even more excuses to short the working poor.

That's why Congress should reject the new money for Iraq -- beyond what's immediately needed by our troops -- until the administration gives some ground on its tax cuts. Making the administration struggle a little bit would not necessarily be the worst thing.