Deal reached

A deal appears to have been reached on the 2009 Deficit Growth Act -- aka the stimulus bill. Self-congratulation is breaking out because the legislation was pared back -- to a mere $780 billion. Nebraska Senator Ben Nelson had the gall to say that "We trimmed the fat, fried the bacon and milked the sacred cows."

Anyone who actually believes that should be stripped of their voter registration card.

People bemoan the lack of Northeast Republicans these days but the three sell-out Senators all hail from that region -- Collins and Snowe of Maine and Specter of Pennsylvania. It's baffling because Susan Collins was just re-elected last year while Snowe prevailed in 2006 with nearly 75% of the vote. They didn't need to do this under pressure from the voters, they simply don't have a problem with big government.