Estimating Spending

The National Taxpayers Union has conducted a study estimating the spending increases necessary to fund the Democratic presidential candidates’ policy proposals.
I wouldn’t put much stock in the study’s raw figures because estimating them entails two levels of speculation: (1) some of the proposals are so vague it’s hard to figure out exactly what they call for; and (2) even if the policy requirements are explicit, it’s difficult to estimate their actual costs. Just consider how well the Bush administration has done in assembling reconstruction cost estimates for Iraq.
Nonetheless the study might shed some light by showing how the candidates stack up relative to each other. Here are the annual spending numbers it assigns (in billions):
Sharpton $1,327
Kucinich $1,060
Kerry $265
Dean $222
Clark $220
Edwards $199
Lieberman $169
If you exclude Sharpton and Kucinich, the range between the remaining candidates isn’t extremely large.
There’s further analysis for each contender at the link above.