(2003-11-22) -- A new leaked memo reveals that President George Bush has a sweeping plan to reduce the size of government by overfunding government programs. The memo helps to explain the continued growth of the federal budget under a Republican administration, with Republican majorities in the House and Senate.

The House last night narrowly approved the largest Medicare funding increase ever and expanded the program to include a prescription drug benefit. Mr. Bush has lobbied hard for the bill which passed despite vigorous Democrat opposition.

In the leaked memo which circulated among top White House officials, a senior administration official defends the so-called "hyper-funding" strategy.

"It's the only way we can get things through Congress," the unnamed official wrote. "To get public school accountability we boost the funding levels so high that Democrats and liberal Republicans can't resist. To get private competition in Medicare, we lure them with cash and drugs. A bigger government program with a dope-dependent electorate is the siren song for professional politicians."

Conservative Republicans in Congress expressed shock at the contents of the leaked memo, and said they're concerned that the hyper-funding initiative may be what one called "a box canyon."

"I'm not sure that the Bush administration has thought this all the way through," said one unnamed House Republican. "What's the exit strategy?"

However, the memo does map out a so-called "end game" for the hyper-funding plan.

"Government is so inefficient," the official wrote, "Choking bureaucrats with money will foster waste, mismanagement and greed that will eventually reach critical mass and destroy the programs. It's all part of compassionate conservatism. We could have just cut spending, but that would have made us look less than compassionate. Don't worry, we'll get to the conservative part later."