Free the Senate 100!

One hundred men and women and their staff members are being held hostage in the U.S. Capitol by The Grinch (Obama) and his dog Max (Harry Reid). Kathryn Jean Lopez wants to set them free:

There are staff Christmas parties around town. There is a snow storm coming. And yet, if you're a Hill staffer, you've probably purchased no presents and had no festive ale or gingerbread. I don't wish this predicament on a member of any party. I want members to see their families. I don't want to be watching CSPAN on Christmas Eve. Harry Reid is officially looking a lot like scrooge. This, of course, is a tad unfair as Barack Obama is the one demanding something from the Senate. From Copenhagen today, he should send Congress home. A smart political move would be for the president to acknowledge that there are kinks to be worked out: That allies make legitmate points on the current state of negotiations, as do concerned Americans who may or may not have voted for him. He won't do the latter, but he can still give Howard Dean some holiday cheer and look like a responsible executive instead of an ideologue looking to force his radical medicine on an unwilling populace and now, even, party.

Bill Kristol says there's one man in the Senate who can send everybody home. No, not Harry Reid, but Sen. Ben Nelson of Nebraska:

There's a really big snowstorm coming to D.C.tonight. It would be unsafe to ask all the staffers and Hill employees who'd be needed at the Capitol if Congress stays open all hours this weekend, as Harry Reid intends, to drive to and from work--especially since many will have to do so at night, and they won't be well-rested. So from the point of view of public safety and personal well-being, Ben Nelson can do everyone a favor, announce today he won't vote for cloture, and let everyone stay home this weekend.

Furthermore, Harry Reid is maniacally insisting on a Christmas Eve vote on a bill whose final text no one has seen yet. So from a good government point of view, Nelson can say that he feels he has to be against cloture.

And of course there's no need to vote in December rather than January or February--it's just that Reid fears the already unpopular bill can't stand up to more public examination and debate. So from the point of view of respecting democracy and the American people, Nelson can insist that he needs time--once we have Reid's text--to go back to Nebraska and have some town meetings to let his constituents' voices be heard. ...

So public safety, good government, democracy, and David Brooks all argue for Ben Nelson saying today that we'll all benefit from a nice holiday break during which we can talk with the American people and recharge our batteries, and that he looks forward to seeing everyone in the New Year.

Of course, the last thing Harry Reid wants is for the Senate to meet with their constituents. He knows that could put the final nail in the Obamacare coffin.

Harry probably looks at this snow storm as a blessing. Maybe it will knock out the Capitol Hill phones and keep those pesky voters from calling in and expressing their outrage.