Senate can't pass stimulus: "Republicans have become resolute in their opposition"

What a surprise.

The country is in the midst of an economic crisis and the Senate can't pass an economic recovery bill. They've had months to work on it. Mitch McConnell and the Republicans have done everything they can to screw it up. But, you know now some of the Senate Democrats have to help them muck it up, too. The quest for bipartisanship takes precedence over fixing the economic mess.

Now is the time for some real leadership and hard ball in the Senate:

Senate Democratic leaders conceded yesterday that they do not have the votes to pass the stimulus bill as currently written and said that to gain bipartisan support, they will seek to cut provisions that would not provide an immediate boost to the economy.

The legislation represents the first major test for President Obama and an expanded Democratic Congress, both of which have made economic recovery the cornerstone of their new political mandate. The stimulus package has now tripled from its post-election estimate of about $300 billion, and in recent days lawmakers in both parties have grown wary of the swelling cost.

Moderate Republicans are trying to trim the bill by as much as $200 billion, although Democrats working with those GOP senators have not agreed to a specific figure.

The Senate's first vote on a stimulus amendment, a failed effort yesterday to add more infrastructure spending to the package, signaled the change in course. For weeks, the measure has grown to meet a worsening economic crisis with the largest possible infusion of government cash. Despite warnings of dire consequences if Congress does not act boldly, Republicans have become resolute in their opposition to what they view as runaway and unnecessary spending in the legislation. And as the total in the Senate version climbs to $900 billion, unease also is stirring among moderate Democrats.

The economy is in a real crisis. It's people to lose their jobs and their homes every day. But, "Republicans have become resolute in their opposition." That's classic.

I keep repeating this because so many reporters and pundits seem to forget: It was a Republican president with the aid of a Republican Congress implementing Republican policies that got us into this economic mess. And, now those Republicans are "resolute."