A Chequer-Board of Nights and Days

So, Congressional Democrats are primed to go ahead with a stimulus package that is one third the size of the previous stimulus package--which failed completely, by the way. That's "reality-based" economics for you, I guess.

Of course, the following is laughable, and should give Republicans an idea of who they are dealing with:

After working to strike a deal on an economic stimulus earlier this year, the Bush administration and congressional Republicans have expressed opposition to the Democrats' new proposal, citing its price tag and the contents of the plan.

At press time Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) said attaching the economic stimulus bill to the bailout package would be a mistake because it would slow down the financial rescue bill.

The proposal was released at 3:13 p.m., just ahead of a scheduled 4 p.m. meeting between Bush and members of Congress. Democrats have been talking about a second stimulus bill for months.

Senior Democratic aides downplayed the significance of the timing, however. One said it was merely "coincidental," while another emphasized that a stimulus plan has always been part of Democratic demands and Thursday's proposal was nothing new.

Raise your hands if you believe this. In any event, the resistance lives on.