Democrats to fight Republican Senate plan
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Hey! Look! Some spine!

Democrats would not be able to stop Sen. Trent Lott (R-Miss.) from being recognized as Majority Leader on the Senate floor, but they are planning to prevent committees from reconstituting if the GOP does not meet their demands. Such a move would prevent the GOP from hitting the ground running in the new Congress and stall President Bush from scoring some quick legislative victories before his Jan. 28, 2003 State of the Union address.

"If the Republicans don't play ball, they are going to have a real problem getting the Senate organized next year," vowed a top Democratic aide. "There is no way in hell we should allow these guys to get away with demands for a two-thirds/one-third split in funding."

But that is exactly what Republicans are driving toward, after wresting control of the majority from Democrats in the midterm elections. Incoming Senate Rules and Administration Chairman Rick Santorum (R-Pa.) advised new Republican committee chairmen this week that they should not enter into any funding agreements with their Democratic counterparts until overall organizing issues are resolved.

This is not an esoteric question. Without proper funding, the Democrats on the committees are hamstrung in their ability to do research, conduct interviews, etc. Lose this fight, and they are set up to lose many, many more, if no other reason than lack of resources.