THE 'COWS OVER KIDS' PROGRAM

An anti-hunger group, Bread for the World, has slammed the $752 million bailout for ranchers ("drought relief"), saying that it takes food out of the mouths of the hungry and shortchanges child nutrition programs. Bread for the World president David Beckman criticized "this obscene 'cows over kids' program," noting that with the Bush administration's largess to cattle producers, there simply won't be enough money left for the other programs. USDA officials have yet to rebut the numbers.