Bunning's Rise and Fall. . . .

According to PatriotPost.US:

If Democrats pass a bill but then refuse to be bound by its conditions, was it ever really passed? Apparently, only one senator had the fortitude to say "yes." Sen. Jim Bunning (R-KY) drew national media attention and bipartisan attacks from his colleagues this week by daring to call Democrats on their bluff of passing a pay-as-you-go (pay-go) policy -- allegedly requiring that new discretionary spending be offset by spending cuts or tax increases -- and then summarily ignoring it.

At issue was the 30-day extension of unemployment and health benefits -- measures which will add $10 billion to the nearly $1.6 trillion federal deficit. For days, Bunning held up a vote on the measure, noting that Democrats need to live up to their pay-go promise. He even offered a solution (which Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid rejected) of using $10 billion of the $500-plus billion in unspent stimu-less funds to offset the measure.

Against the backdrop of our astronomical deficit, $10 billion is, sad to say, a drop in the bucket. But it's not the first drop. Unfortunately, a deal reached Tuesday night convinced Bunning to let the $10 billion bill come to a vote, and it passed 78-19. Yet the process illustrates that -- surprise! -- Democrats don't care a whit what they say about controlling spending. Until they're held accountable, their votes will be as meaningless and empty as their promises.

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Even the Republicans didn't stand behind Bunning, even though they had just passed the "pay-go" pay-as-you-go legislation.