Wrote a story for Tuesday's paper about what Senator Bernie Sanders thinks of President Bush's proposed $2.9 trillion budget (hint: not much) and, especially, the plans of prez has for cutting or eliminating a bunch of programs critical to low- and middle-income Vermonters.

Regretably, I wasn't able to get in Gov. Jim Douglas's thoughts on the subject in time for my deadline. That was too bad because, when I belatedly got the guv's take on the subject from his press secretary, Jason Gibbs, it turns out he was more in agreement with our self-proclaimed Socialist Senator than with the Republican leader I did manage to reach, state party chairman Rob Roper.

Roper said Sanders' remarks were the same "rehashed rhetoric" we always get from him. Whoops. Here's what Douglas, via Gibbs, had to say:

"The governor has some very serious concerns about the president’s proposed budget, particularly some of the cuts he’s proposed in health care and social service programs ... It sounds like he (Sanders) and the governor share many of the same concerns. We are in the process now of evaluating the impact of the president's budget proposals on the state, and we’ll have a better sense of that as the days go by this week."

"Having said that, however, we’re optimistic that our Congessional delegation and other members of Congress will be able to restore funding for many of these vital programs and protect Vermont to the extent possible. The budget obviously has to go through a long Congressional approval process. We will continue to provide our point of view as that process moves forward."

Okay, so it lacks the vitriol of Bernie's remarks and there no talk of rolling back Bush's tax cuts that benefitted the rich. But, as a Republican governor, Douglas has certain, uhh, loyalties to consider and disagreeing openly with your party's president can't be something he relishes doing.

-- Sam Hemingway