So, it looks like I'm mostly off the hook for finding a job until April now, thanks to all the clamor about rising unemployment over the holidays. The meager plans in both chambers of commerce have been dismissed entirely, and a new thirteen-week extension of benefits signed into law today by President Bush. $300 rebate notwithstanding, this is probably the most profound effect my government has ever had on me, personally. And Hillary Clinton, among others, were pushing for 26 weeks, but I don't think that was ever really going to happen.

With the opening of the all-Republican all-the-time government this week, some interesting subplots are developing. The first is that in the Senate, where the GOP majority is slimmest, some traditional mavericks are going to end up with a lot of swing vote power. In particular, it looks like Arizona senator John McCain is already providing some opposition within his own party. This could go a long way in keeping a lid on some of the more extreme measures being drooled over by some people in Congress. Already, House Republican Tom DeLay is redefining the phrase "drunk with power" with phrases like "I look at the Bush plan as a floor, not a ceiling," with regard to the proposed tax cuts. And then there's the re-nomination of Trent Lott wannabe Charles Pickering for a judicial position, which conventional wisdom condemns as an indication that the GOP didn't learn a damn thing from Lott's problems last month.

The run-up to the 2004 elections may be more contentious and entertaining than we had anticipated, so buckle your seat belts.