NO WONDER HE NEEDS TO RUN AWAY:

Senate Lacks Votes to Pass Stimulus (Shailagh Murray and Paul Kane, 2/04/09, Washington Post)

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. [...]

The most ambitious effort to cut the bill is being led by Sens. Ben Nelson (D-Neb.) and Susan Collins (R-Maine), moderates in their parties who share a dislike of the current version. Collins is scheduled to visit Obama at the White House this afternoon. "I'm going to go to him with a list" of suggested deletions, she said.

Nelson said he and Collins have agreed to "tens of billions" in cuts, although he said he is skeptical that the effort will reach Collins's target of $200 billion in reductions. The pair has counted up to 20 allies in their effort, with more Democrats than Republicans at this point.

Among the items that the Collins-Nelson initiative is targeting: $1.1 billion for comparative medical research, $350 million for Agriculture Department computers, $75 million to discourage smoking, $20 million in Interior Department funding, $400 million for HIV screening and $650 million for wildlife management.

Administration Is Described as Being at a Loss (Ceci Connolly, 2/03/09, Washington Post)

Democrats close to the White House said that they are now at a loss for who will fill the void, given that Daschle was the only real contender contemplated by the president.

"There were no other names," said one administration ally who was not permitted to speak on the record about the Daschle saga.

"The game plan changes when you need to swap out your quarterback," said Dan Mendelson, a former Clinton administration official who now owns a health consulting company. "Congress writes the laws. The Obama administration really understands that."

Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.) emphasized yesterday that his staff will resume its work crafting health legislation.

Posted by Orrin Judd at February 4, 2009 12:16 AM