Washington, Jan. 24 (Bloomberg) -- U.S. government economists are lowering theirprojections of economic growth for 2001, even as they raise their 10-year forecastsfor the federal budget surplus. That may be good political news for President George W. Bush, who says thenation needs a tax cut in the short run to stimulate the economy and can afford itin the long run. It may be bad news for some bond investors concerned that taxcuts will reduce revenue at the same time the government boosts spending, wipingout the surplus before it grows. ``We may have reached the peak of optimism,'' said Barry Bosworth, an economistat the Brookings Institution. ``Bush could come in with surpluses and leave withdeficits. That's not impossible by any means.'' The official economic forecasts by government agencies carry special clout at thistime of year. They set the scorecard by which Congress will judge the cost ofBush's proposals on taxes, education and military spending. And unlikeprojections by private economists and academics, they won't be updated for sixmonths. Thus they will govern the debate on the affordability of the budget Bushwill present in the next months.