A Republican Reconciles with the Rules

Senator Judd Gregg, a Republican from New Hampshire, defends the procedure known as "reconciliation," which allows a simple majority to pass health care reform (and which, despite the name, is super divisive). Reconciliation is within the rules of the senate, and was used to pass tax cuts, among other things, under Bush, but republicans have been complaining that democrats shouldn't use it to pass health care reform because that would be "ramming the bill through."[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UjD3gHZ2F6w"The idea that it is outside the rules to proceed within the rules is a very unique view of the rules." Indeed. The problem is that the Senate hasn't really been operating according to the rules thus far. It's been operating instead by tacit deals and gentleman's agreements. And now that the limits of the rules are being tested/exploited, the rules are revealing themselves as a little ridiculous.Via Matt Yglesias.