Americans woke Saturday to the news that the collaborators currently masquerading as leaders of the Democratic Party were determined to once again give George Bu$h every last penny in the cupboard in a desperate attempt to – do something or other. No one seems to be quite sure what.

The little bunnies were so frightened of a coward and bully, supported by 24% of the walking zombified of the nation, that they were going to give him all the ca$h he was demanding by holding the US troops in the Middle East as hostages. While they once stood up on their hind legs and pounded their little hollow chests before servilely caving in, this time they weren’t even going to do the kabuki for the cameras.

Senior lawmakers and Congressional aides said the broad outlines of the proposal called for the House to consider $30 billion for military operations in Afghanistan, as well as money for military bases and support programs for military families to quiet fears of Pentagon layoffs because of a lack of money. … After the measure returns to the House for a final vote, Democrats opposed to the war are likely to vote against it but may not be able to stop it. The decision to free some money for the war without a deadline or goal for withdrawal would represent a major concession by Democrats. They had earlier said they would not send Mr. Bush any more war money this year unless he accepted a change in Iraq policy.

But Democratic leaders now say they have concluded that a logjam of 11 appropriations bills cannot be broken without acceding to at least some of the president’s demand for more war money.[emph added]

I was cruel about this story on Saturday because the Democratic Party has shamed me and my country. Cruel, but accurate. Years of being double-teamed by the criminal conspiracy known as the republican Party and their running dog lackeys of the corporate media has made them so frightened of a harsh word or darkening brow that the Dems quiver in reaction when a coffee cup is dropped. They no longer plan political strategy in order to defend the nation. Now they sit down in a locked room and work out just how they are going to gull the country once again while they enable the criminals to steal more of our heritage and treasure.

This morning’s WaPo is carrying an article by Jonathan Weissman reporting that David Obey (D-Wisc) thinks he’s had enough.

A Democratic deal to give President Bush some war funding in exchange for additional domestic spending appeared to collapse last night after House Appropriations Committee Chairman David R. Obey (D-Wis.) accused Republicans of bargaining in bad faith.

Instead, Obey said he will push a huge spending bill that would hew to the president's spending limit by stripping it of all lawmakers' pet projects, as well as most of the Bush administration's top priorities. It would also contain no money for the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Mr Bu$h, who never saw a middle class or poor American that he wasn’t willing to crawl across broken glass to kick, had demanded that there be no additional or new domestic spending beyond that which he felt was appropriate for people dying the slow death of an unresponsive economy that has been tailored to increase the wealth of large corporations and a very small and elite group of multi-millionaires.

House Democratic leaders were scheduled to complete work last night on a $520 billion spending bill that included $11 billion in funding for domestic programs above the president's request, half of what Democrats had initially approved. The bill would have also contained $30 billion for the war in Afghanistan, upon which the Senate would have added billions more for Iraq before final congressional approval.

But a stern veto threat this weekend from White House budget director Jim Nussle put the deal in jeopardy, and Obey said he is prepared for a long standoff with the White House.

Mr Obey thinks he may have discovered a simple solution that he feels might goad Congress to stand up on its hind legs for once. Just take the pet projects (“earmarks”) out of the bill. As our under-worked and over-paid Congresscritters head home for their latest time off from work they want to show the folks in their districts that they’re squeezing the golden goose to best effect. There’s nothing more embarrassing than going home for Christmas without a nice little giftwrapped present for that big contractor in your home district.

Obey's proposal would ax about 9,500 home-district and home-state projects worth a total of $9.5 billion, according to Keith Ashdown, vice president of Taxpayers for Common Sense, a budget watchdog group. Republicans inserted about 40 percent of those projects.

White House spokesweasel Tony Fratto doesn’t care what Congressman Obey proposes. Following the official Bu$h malAdministration policy of showing maximum contempt for Congress at all times, he sniffed dismissively, "Different day, different Democrat, different direction. Our position hasn't changed[.]"

Many rank-and-file republicans are a bit frightened of this situation since earmarks were shaved off a 2006 appropriations bill and a 2007 spending bill passed earlier this year. The thought of bringing home empty bags two years in a row has frightened a number of them and they have begged Minority Leader John Boehner to lighten up a bit and work with the Democrats.

Knowledgeable observers noted Mr Boehner is more frightened of Mr Bu$h than of his own rank-and-file.