MONDAY, DECEMBER 6, 2010


KLMNO


EZ SU POLITICS & THE NATION


GOP leaders hint at compromise on tax cuts, jobless benefits ‘SOME KIND


OF EXTENSION’


Vote on START pact still up in the air BY DAVID BROWN


AND LORIMONTGOMERY The Senate Republican leader-


ship telegraphed on the Sunday- morning talk shows that a com- promise toextendunemployment compensation and the GeorgeW. Bush-era tax cuts is inthe offing. Senate Minority Leader Mitch


McConnell (R-Ky.) and Sen. Jon Kyl (Ariz.), the Republican whip, told different interviewers that they expect Congress to vote for the tax cuts, which have been in effect for almost a decade, to con- tinueunalteredfor at least several years in exchange for an agree- ment to extend an emergency un- employment program that ex- pired last week for millions of people. “Obviously, the presidentwon’t sign a permanent extension of the


current tax rates.Sowe’regoingto have some kind of extension. I’d like one as long as possible,” McConnell toldhostDavidGrego- ry onNBC’s “Meet the Press.”Mo- ments later, he added: “I thinkwe will extend unemployment com- pensation. . . . We’re working on that package. . . . I think we’re going to get there.” On CBS’s “Face theNation,”Kyl


told host Bob Schieffer: “I think that most folks believe that the recipe would include at least an extensionofunemploymentbene- fits for thosewho areunemployed and an extension of all the tax rates for all Americans for some period of time.” On the same program, Sen.


RichardJ.Durbin(Ill.), theDemo- cratic whip, reluctantly con- curred. “I can tell you that without un-


employment benefits being ex- tended, personally, this is a non- starter,” he said. “The notion that we would give tax cuts to those makingover$1millionayear . . . is unconscionable.” But, he added: “We’removing inthat direction.” On Saturday, the Senate reject-


ed two Democratic proposals for extending the Bush-era tax cuts, which the Republicans prefer to


call “tax rates,” because they have been in effect for so long. One wouldhave extendedthemfor the first $250,000 of family income. The second would have extended themfor the first $1million. The fact that a handful ofDem-


ocratic senators voted along with everyRepublicangaveMcConnell a swaggering confidence that the tax cutswill live onintact. “Imagine how much worse it


would have been [in recent years] ifwe’d had the higher tax rate,” he told Gregory. “Look, this argu-


ment’s over, David. You and I can continue to engage in it, but it’s over. The Senate voted yesterday. Every Republican and five Demo- crats said, ‘We’re not raising taxes on anybody in the middle of a recession.’ ” On another contentiousmatter


— ratification of the New START pact on nuclear weapons with Russia — McConnell was neutral on whether the lame-duck Con- gress will consider it, while Kyl thinks itwon’t. McConnell said he has “no


Gingrich ‘much more inclined to run’ in 2012 During an appearance on “Fox


News Sunday,” former House speaker Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.) said he is “much more inclined to run” for president in 2012 than not run. He has been hinting for


months that he may seek the presidency — although he has a history of making a lot of noise about running before deciding against it, as he did before the 2008 election. On Sunday, Gingrich said that,


after speaking with friends and colleagues,heis“moreinclined to think it is doable.” But he said he


will not make a decision until the “end of February, beginning of March.” Asked to analyze the field of


likely GOP contenders, Gingrich described former Alaska gover- nor Sarah Palin as a “phenome- non in her own right.” He said that “structurally,” formerMassa- chusetts governorMittRomney is the front-runner, while former Arkansas governor Mike Hucka- bee leads the pack in terms of popularity. He described himself as “com-


petitive.” —Matt DeLong DIGEST AIRSECURITY


Billwould punish body-scanmisuse Sen. Charles E. Schumer


(D-N.Y.)wantstomakeit illegal for anyone to distribute or record im- ages produced by full-body scan- ners at airports. Schumer introduced a bill Sun-


day that calls for punishing by up to a year in prison anyone who misuses full-body scan images. Fines of up to $100,000 also could be imposed. Privacy advocates say there are


SAMUEL HOFFMAN/FORT WAYNE JOURNAL GAZETTE VIA ASSOCIATED PRESS


On Interstate 69 near FortWayne, Ind., firefighters stand watch near an overturned vehicle that damaged an exit sign. The highway was closed for two hours Sunday after snow caused several crashes.


insufficient safeguards to ensure that the revealing images pro- duced by the machines remain private. The X-ray scans fromthe machinescanseethroughpeople’s clothing. The Transportation Security Administration says the images


cannot be stored, transmitted or printed and they are deleted after use.Passengerscanopt insteadfor a pat-down that includes the crotchandchest.


—AssociatedPress MONTANA


For sale: Unabomber’s land A 1.4-acre parcel of forested


landinwesternMontana thatwas once owned by Unabomber Ted Kaczynski is on the market for $69,500. The listing — by John Pistelak


RealtyofLincoln—offersachance to own a piece of “infamous U.S. history.”The land,whichhadbeen listed at $154,500, does not have electricity or runningwater. The property does not include Kaczynski’s cabin,whichis ondis-


play at the NewseuminWashing- ton. Kaczynski is serving a life sentence for killing three people and injuring 23 during a nation- wide bombing spree . —AssociatedPress


Trial to open in gun fair death: A former police chief from western Massachusetts is set to go on trial on manslaughter charges in the accidental shooting death of an 8-year-old Connecticut boy at a gun fair. Jury selection is to begin Monday in the trial of Edward Fleury,who is chargedinthe 2008 death of Christopher Bizilj. The youngster diedafteranUzihewas firing flipped backward and shot himinthehead.Fleury ownedthe company that co-sponsored the event. His lawyer says there is no way Fleury could have known a childwoulddie.


—AssociatedPress


idea” whether Senate Majority Leader Harry M. Reid (D-Nev.) will bring it up, nor would he say whether he would vote for it. Kyl, who has opposed voting until the Obama administration commits to modernizing the country’s nu- clear arsenal, said: “No, the an- swer is there is not time to do it in thelame-duck,whenyouconsider all of the other things that the Democratic leaderwants to do.” The Labor Department esti-


mates that 1.6 million people could stop receiving unemploy- ment insurance checks by Christ- mas if the benefits aren’t extend- ed. About 6 million people could lose themby spring. Normally, jobless benefits run


out after 26 weeks. They now are running to 99 weeks for some becauseofprevious congressional extensions. Anydeal cutbetweentheWhite


House and theGOPwouldhave to be ratified by Democrats in Con- gresswhoaregrowingincreasing- ly anxious about the prospect of voting to extend tax cuts for the rich along with breaks for the middle class. Many in theHouse are particu-


larly agitated by the ongoing ne- gotiations and say they are not


inclined to rubber-stamp a deal that does not win significant Re- publican concessions to extend unemployment insurance as well as a host of tax cuts that were createdinthe2009stimuluspack- age and are set to expire. On Saturday evening, House


Democratic leaders gathered at Vice President Biden’s home to vent their frustrations to himand toWhiteHouse Chief of Staff Pete Rouse, according to seniorDemo- cratic aides. The two-hour meeting also in-


cluded Treasury Secretary Timo- thy F. Geithner andWhite House budget director Jacob Lew, who are guiding bicameral talks about the tax cuts between the two par- ties. As of Sunday evening, no additionalmeetings of that group had beenscheduled. The House last week easily ap-


proved President Obama’s pre- ferred option — preserving the cuts only on income up to $250,000 a year. The Saturday- night meeting came hours after the Senate was unable to do the same. House Democrats are scheduled to confer with their rank and fileTuesday evening. browndm@washpost.com montgomeryl@washpost.com


A3


Karri Danner Licensed Practical Nurse


Graduate of Brown Mackie College in Findlay, Ohio.


“When my husband got sick, it was up to me to support our family. My


education made all the difference.


Washington’s job-killing “gainful employment” rule would restrict access to career colleges and universities and deny millions like Karri the opportunity to go to school and get ahead. Now is not the time for Washington to get in the way.


My education. My job. My choice. Visit myeducationchoice.org and sign the petition.


”


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