Make that a travesty of a mockery of a sham of a mockery of a travesty of two mockeries of a sham--to borrow a Woody Allen phrase.

It is particularly an outrage that Democrats would support these "caps", and that some Democrats are calling the proposal "serious reform", to boot. Then again, so many Democrats have done the business of the subsidy lobby throughout this farm bill debate.

Let's all jump in a taxicab, call a school teacher or a fireman or a soldier we know, or just walk up to someone on the street and see what they think about the "reforms" the Democratic Congress is proposing to limit farm subsidies to the wealthy.

Non-farmers now getting subsidies will be disqualified only if they have an adjusted gross income (income after most deductions) in the stratospheric range of $750,000 or more (averaged over three years I presume) in 2010.

The "cut-off" will drop after that ($650,000 in 2011 and $500,00 in 2012).

However, if it's farm income we're talking about, the "cap" is not a travesty of a mockery of a sham. It's a farce of a masquerade of a burlesque of a whoopee cushion.

Farm-derived income would be "capped" (as in "gimme cap") at $950,000, meaning huge operations could still make that much before they are dinged in any way on subsidies.

And here--imagine the sound of the teeniest, tiniest little bell ever--is the ding!: For each $100,000 per year these giant farmers make above that amount, they will lose 10 percent of their direct payments only. Which payments, it has been reported, will be raised to $50,000 per person (up from $40,000 in current law) or $100,000 per couple ($80,000 in current law).

So let's say you had $100,000 in DPs coming your way. To lose it all, you'd have to have farm income of $1.9 million.

If this is the offer that comes forth tomorrow, the White House will promise a veto.

Will that be political suicide, as Chairman Peterson said today to farm broadcasters? I think so.

But for Democrats, not for Bush. And he should veto it.

As we've said before, there is plenty of money in this bill to increase food stamps, conservation, and other priorities. Democrats just have to demonstrate the political backbone to face down the subsidy lobby.

If Democratic leaders can't do that now, when subsidized farmers are making record profits from the market, they'll never do it.