Negotiations Aren't Going Well in the Senate

Negotiations continue as Harry Reid desperately tries to come up with the biggest package he can possibly get GOP support for. However, it sounds like all is not well:

Sen. George Voinovich (R-Ohio) has pulled out of negotiations on a bipartisan compromise on the Senate's economic stimulus bill.

Three Republicans -- Sens. Susan Collins (Maine), Olympia Snowe (Maine) and Arlen Specter (Pa.) -- continue to negotiate with Democrats, but Voinovich's departure could make it more difficult for Democrats to reach the 60 votes they need to pass the bill.

Voinovich left a meeting in Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid's (D-Nev.) office around 2:30 p.m., saying he did not believe there was a deal he could agree to on an amendment that would cut as much as $100 billion from the more than $920 billion measure.

"I've really tried to work on this, but the three things that it should be timely, that it should be temporary and it should be targeted, that was something that I looked at," Voinovich said. "It just doesn't meet my criteria, and I feel very sorry because I think the Majority Leader has his responsibility, and he's got his Members that he has to take care of."

With those particular Republicans, and a few others I can think of, you always have to worry about them suddenly being stricken with bipartisanship to the extent they lose their Republican bearings altogether. This bill may be so bad that even they can't handle voting with Reid.

I hope so.