"This seems to be the opening of the battle of the budget," said House Republican Leader Charles Halleck as the Democratic 86th Congress took up its first major pieces of legislation. "Already the budget busters are on the move." Charlie Halleck was dead right: the 1959 battle of the budget was flaming on all fronts last weekÂand there was little doubt that the budget busters were ahead in the preliminary skirmishes.
The balanced-budget forces were led by President Eisenhower, persuading Republicans, buttonholing his friends, conferring in friendly fashion over whisky and soda with Democratic Senate Leader Lyndon Johnson and Democratic...
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