"Senate and House Democrats backed down Wednesday from a spending showdown with President Bush.

The Democrats’ capitulation Wednesday on the total domestic spending level is the latest instance of Bush prevailing on a major policy showdown. Bush and his Senate Republican allies have repeatedly beat back efforts by Democrats to place restrictions on funding for the war in Iraq as well as Democratic attempts to expand funding of children’s health insurance by $35 billion. "
...
"The good news for Democrats is that their concession on overall spending brings them significantly closer to enacting into law a range of spending priorities."
http://thehill.com/index2.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=70300&pop=1&page=0&Itemid=70

Linked from Drudge

The bad news is they wasted a huge amount time, Christmas is approaching and they may still be weeks or months before getting a bill passed.