While I'm not an advocate of deficits, WaPo's comparison in the short-term is somewhat apples and oranges. The Bush admin excluded the cost of wars and disaster funding from their budgets.
I am usually in favor of fiscal conservatism, but our current situation is extraordinary, and I just don't see how government cutting taxes and watching from the sidelines is going to work. I get that economies are cyclical, but I think these times call for more active government spending. Plus, our roads, bridges, electrical grid, etc, are all woefully archaic.
"It does me no injury for my neighbour to say there are 20 gods or no god. It neither picks my pocket, nor breaks my leg."
-- Thomas Jefferson