The watered-down (but better than nothing, I guess) Senate jobs bill made it past a procedural vote last night, with opponents unable to sustain a filibuster by a 4-1 vote (that is, 4 Republicans – including brand new Senator, Scott Brown – voted to end cloture, while one “Democrat” – Ben Nelson – voted to continue debate). Not a good start for you Senator Brown. I foresee many teabags in your future (and not in a Larry Craig kinda way, either – though I wouldn’t rule that out, either). Meanwhile, the Kabuki Theater know as “health care reform” continues its unprecedented run (it’s almost like an Andrew Lloyd Webber musical, only not quite as insipid; close, though). The big question now, of course, is whether or not Democrats have what it takes to use budget reconciliation to pass a) crappy reform and/or b) a crappy public option. From what Larry O’Donnell keeps saying, even with reconciliation, there are a lot of procedural hurdles along the way that require 60 votes to pass. I’m not sure anybody actually knows WTF the deal is, but if there’s a chance for Democrats to cave in and/or for Joe Lieberman, Max Baucus, et al., to torpedo the process, I’m pretty sure they’ll do it.

Wannabe terrorist Najibullah Zazi plead guilty to conspiracy to use weapons of mass destruction, commit murder in a foreign country, and provide material support to al-Qaeda in Federal District Court in Brooklyn yesterday, as expected. The news that the US Criminal Justice System works and that we can try criminals in the venue where they committed their crimes sent Dick Cheney to the hospital. Don’t worry, though, the Dick is resting comfortably. If there’s anybody who deserves to be resting comfortably, it’s great American patriot and hero, Dick Cheney. May you rest in peace here on Earth, Dick, ‘cuz you’ve got an eternity in hell to get ready for.

Speaking of hell, time to get ready for work.