Call it a day, originally uploaded by HarryBo73.

Something isn’t right when the liberal Washington Post editorial page attacks liberal Speaker Nancy Pelosi. It happened today, and in this case the Post got one right. Pelosi and her cohorts are pushing through the House a bill that would provided billions of dollars in federal farm subsidies for many Americans who simply don’t need the money.

There’s nothing worse than someone who promises reform only to cave when the heat is on. That’s exactly what has happened with Pelosi, and the Post deserves credit for calling her out on it.

When the Democrats took over Congress in November, they promised to legislate differently from their predecessors. Given the slimness of their victory and the voters’ pronounced anger at Washington, they had a mandate to dispense with the worst manifestations of craven interest politics and to push for basic reforms in ethics and procedure. Now Speaker Nancy Pelosi (Calif.) and the rest of the new House leadership are in danger of failing a major test of their commitment to change.

My colleague Brian Riedl has a great op-ed in today’s Los Angeles Times explaining the ramifications of the farm bill. (He’s also written two papers — one explaining how farm subsidies harm taxpayers and another exposing why these subsidies are a classic corporate welfare program.) No matter how you look at it, taxpayers are getting a bum deal.

Fortunately, President Bush is demanding that Democrats exercise some spending restraint and make an effort at real reform. He’s threatened to veto the $300 billion bill. Meanwhile, Reps. Jeff Flake (R.-Ariz.) and Ron Kind (D.-Wis.) have offered an amendment that promotes “freer trade by reducing the market distortions in our farm programs,” according to the Club for Growth.