Spending Bill For Military Is Ripe For the Stuffing: "There's nothing more tempting in Congress than a must-pass bill.

"The Senate this week takes up emergency spending legislation to keep military funds flowing to Iraq and Afghanistan. Because it's a bill for the troops, it is certain to end up on President Bush's desk, and that's why lawmakers will try to tack on their own pressing provisions."

"Meanwhile, Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) will go against the flow by attempting to strip out funds that he deems are not urgently eeded. 'If Social Security is in crisis, we can't afford to play games with the budget,' Coburn spokesman John Hart said."

"JUDICIAL RESTRAINT: All rhetoric to the contrary, the Senate actually does approve some federal judges. At 5 p.m. today, the Senate is scheduled to begin considering the nomination of Paul A. Crotty to be U.S. district judge for the Southern District of New York. Democrats predict he will be approved by a wide margin and with the support of both New York senators, Democrats Charles E. Schumer and Hillary Rodham Clinton."

"Meanwhile, the judicial battle has flared up on an unlikely front: the Capitol tour circuit. At Frist's invitation, David Barton, author of a handbook called 'Impeachment,' in which he lays out the constitutional foundations for ejecting 'overactive' federal judges, is scheduled to lead interested senators and their families around the Capitol this evening. Barton, founder of WallBuilders, which bills itself as a pro-family organization, specializes in the building's spiritual heritage and has conducted numerous such tours in the past."