Monday Morning Open Thread

Good morning.

So, the Senate health insurance bill is moving. There was a key vote early this morning to invoke cloture on the "manager's amendment," which contained all the latest fixes and compromises. It got the necessary 60 votes, all from the Democratic caucus. There will be three more critical votes this week, spaced thirty hours apart because of the Senate's archaic rules. Two will require 60 votes, then final passage, which should occur at around 7:00 PM on Christmas Eve, will require 51 votes. As irritated and angry as I am at Democrats in the Senate -- and at the White House -- for producing such a weak bill and wasting so much time and political capital to do it, watching the GOPers in action is painful. I keep thinking that Mitch McConnell has to be one of the most hypocritical -- and destructive -- political figures in the nation's history. But, then I remember that McConnell only has 40 Senators in his GOP caucus and shouldn't have any power. He's only able to play these games because the likes of Joe Lieberman and Ben Nelson, among others, aid and abet him.

The federal government is closed today. That means a lot of D.C. will be closed, because many organizations and businesses follow the government schedule. The city is slowly digging out from the blizzard. I have to say that my neighborhood isn't too bad by D.C. standards. By Maine standards, it's a mess. And, I can report that Petey, the dog, is loving the snow. It's a whole new adventure for him.

Let's start threading the news...