The Friedman Whom the Pubbies Ignored

HT Dreher:

I was googling around tonight for information on the great economist Milton Friedman, who just passed away, and found this passage from an interview he did with Peter Robinson in March of 2000:

Milton Friedman: ...The reason you have a surplus today, in my opinion, the credit for that has to be given overwhelmingly to gridlock.

Peter Robinson: To gridlock?

Milton Friedman: If you had had a Democratic House and Senate, as well as a Democratic president, you would not have a surplus today in my opinion. They would have spent it. Similarly if you had had a Republican president as well as a Republican House and Senate, I doubt that there would have been a surplus today. Because they would either have spent it or had tax reductions.

Peter Robinson: So when President Clinton steps forward to take his bows, you don't applaud at all?

Milton Friedman: Well, I applaud. He provided gridlock.

Yah, hey. Who knows? This might work out well for Wisconsin...