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President Bush lashed out at Democrats this week for including non-war items to an Iraqi spending bill this weekend. But whilst signing the bill into law, he never even mentioned the internet gambling provision.

"I like peanuts as much as the next guy, but I believe the security of our troops should come before the security of our peanut crop," Bush said in his weekly radio address, referring to a provision in the war funding legislation that earmarks $74 million for secure peanut storage.

Bush did not make any address to the add-on to a port security measure, deemed equally as important, which included an unrelated add-on provision banning online poker while allowing online horse racing. That unrelated item was attached by Republican Senators Jon Kyl of Arizona and then Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist.

Perhaps Kyl and Frist need reminding of the recent WTO ruling which stated ‘the US could only continue to block overseas websites offering online poker, and other forms of online gambling, if its laws were equally applied to US firms that offer off-track betting on horse racing’.