SOMETIMES NOTHIN' IS A REAL COOL HAND:

The zen of political nothingness: Path to bipartisanship through prudent inaction (Alex Cortes, 11/16/10, The Washington Times)

Mr. Obama and Republicans have common ground in their rhetorical recognition of the need to reduce our persisting, record deficits. Last year the president called for a freeze on non-security discretionary spending, and Republicans have spent the last year campaigning for reining in Democrats' out-of-control spending.

However, to find common ground in reducing our yearly deficits, significant time needs to be dedicated to setting budget priorities jointly and developing a series of substantial cuts that a sufficient number of members of both parties will support. Rational actors will agree that this simply cannot be done in a two-month lame-duck session that includes the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays.

Therefore, the president should join Republicans and forgo an omnibus spending bill, instead passing a continuing resolution that will fund government operations at current levels until common ground on spending reductions can be found and pursued in the next Congress.

With Senate Majority Whip Richard J. Durbin declaring that an omnibus spending bill is one of the Democrats' top three priorities for the lame-duck session, don't be surprised if the party pushes back against a president that settles for anything less. This would be all the better for Mr. Obama, as it would demonstrate to voters that he has turned a new leaf toward the bipartisan cooperation necessary to achieve his goal to "move the American people's agenda forward," perhaps saving his presidency along the way.