"To express the sense of the Senate that Congress should reject any Social Security plan that requires deep benefit cuts or a massive increase in debt."

50 Republicans voted no. The campaign commercials write themselves. Graham, who is an intriguing guy, was not one of them--he joined Collins, Snowe, DeWine and Specter. It's truly inspiring to see a Republican Senator from the South with a conscience (I'm remembering his reaction to Abu Ghraib) and a brain, but this probably harms his chances at the leadership if anything.

What is this? Another trial balloon by these spineless pseudo-Republicans to see if they should act like the leaders they TOLD US THEY WERE when they wanted our votes?

Now, to compound the farce they are going to consider another round of benefit cuts and tax increases to try and stave off the day of reckoning (and thereby make the reckoning that much more expensive, painful, and potentially disastrous).

Has it occurred to any of these geniuses we have annointed that if tax increases could fix this problem one of the prior dozen or so should have done it by now?

No. It hasn't, yet they continue to pound their heads against that wall because - EVIDENTLY - it is less painful for them than coming up with an original thought or new idea on how to actually fix this mess.

They worry about the drugs my kids might be taking, but the rest of us are (EVIDENTLY) left to wonder what kind of drugs THEY are in fact taking and not sharing with the rest of us...

In the end, all the editorial board support in the world is not going to shield them from the wrath of the electorate who will eventually turn on them and throw them out because when they had the opportunity to lead (that they asked us to give them), they lacked the courage to actually lead. They hid. They procrastinated. They pondered.

Yet we pay. Every year they wait to fix it the right way, every man, woman, and child in this country gets socked with around $2,000 each to pay off because they are too stupid, too shallow, and too scared to do what they all know is the right thing.

Where are the Republicans?

Kerry showed up for a vote?