True to their noble commitment to fiscal responsibility, Blue Dog Democrats helped stall their party's war supplemental spending package in the House this week. The intrepid budged hawks insisted that the cost of a major expansion of GI Bill education benefits that was added to the supplemental be offset with budget cuts elsewhere.

Veterans’ groups and liberal Democrats were irked by the Blue Dogs’ stance.

The delay caused by the Blue Dogs provoked a backlash by veterans’ groups as well as several members of the liberal Out of Iraq and Progressive caucuses Thursday, who demanded that the supplemental bill be brought to the floor in its original form.

“How can the Blue Dog Coalition possibly say that an expansion of education benefits is too costly when their votes to spend hundreds of billions of dollars to fight in Iraq violate the same pay-as-you-go rules they claim to so deeply respect? It’s an inconsistent logic,” said Rep. Maurice D. Hinchey , D-N.Y.

Maybe House Democrats riled up about the Blue Dogs' position on education benefits for veterans should stage a revolt themselves--by signalling support for Bush's promised veto of the farm bill.

After all, Blue Dogs are mopping up billions in that legislation, which Speaker Pelosi is strong-arming her caucus to support. We know that at least $5.9 billion in "direct payment" farm subsidies will go to farmers in Blue Dog districts over the next five years, despit the sky-high crop prices and record incomes that subsidy crop farmers will be earning.

How "fiscally responsible" is that?

Earl Pomeroy's farmers will get $1.1 billion from taxpayers. Marion Berry's will get $965 million. Stephanie Herseth-Sandlin's will haul in over $800 million.

And Ag Committee Chairman Collin Peterson, who has been saying the payments are "hard to defend" when farmers' incomes are at record levels, will bring home $691 million in direct payment subsidies under the bill.

Here's a complete list of the direct payments Blue Dogs are projected to haul in over the next five years.

Once again, Blue Dogs are getting their way--and getting their money--while the majority of the Democratic caucus is stymied on their agenda.

Maybe with the farm economy booming, Democratic leaders could cut farm subsidies to the biggest, most prosperous operations to pay for the education benefits veterans deserve?