All of a sudden, this apparently lamest of lame-duck Congress sessions has taken flight.
What looked to be a sad waste of time post-election with the GOP celebrating and the Democrats falling apart turned into one of the most productive sessions in memory.
The question, of course, is why the rest of the year couldn’t have gone like this.
True, the legislation passed had overwhelming public support. Congress extended the Bush tax cuts, wisely including those for struggling middle class workers, and, unwisely, those for the wealthiest Americans. Congress ended “don’t ask, don’t tell” to allow patriotic gay troops to serve openly and honestly. And it improved our food safety and even paid for 9/11 responders’ health care.
Most impressively, after a year in which bipartisanship seemed less likely than a Royals World Series appearance, there were folks crossing the aisle for most of what got done this month.
And, perhaps last on the big-ticket item list, the United States got a new Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty.
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