It's not often that we know whom to pat on the back for the federal phrases which let us think for a moment that things are not as bad as they could be. Kudos to Kudlow - Lawrence A. Kudlow, that is, who has now gone public. It was he who gave the White House the mellifluous ''revenue enhancement,'' allowing a brief, comforting pause before one guesses that it means tax increases. He says he volunteered ''receipts strengthening,'' too. Thanks, Lawrence, we needed that.