First Legislative Update of '08

Well, the 110th Congress recently returned to start their second session, but it's already not looking too good.

For the umpteenth time, the House of Representatives failed to override President Bush's veto of a bill to expand SCHIP. President Bush plans to sign into law the defense authorization bill, now that both chambers of Congress gave in on a provision he sought that would exempt Iraq from lawsuits dating to the regime of executed former President Saddam Hussein. And the Senate granted at least a temporary victory to the White House when it turned back an attempt to increase court oversight of the government's surveillance of phone calls and e-mails that involve people inside the United States. Here's Russ Feingold's statement on the affair.

As you probably already know, the House and President Bush reached a deal on an economic stimulus package. However, it may face opposition in the Senate as Senators try to push their own add-ons.