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Harry Reid's Monkey Wrench

This is interesting. The Hill reports Harry Reid has set the vote on the Senate's economic stimulus package for Monday--the last day of campaigning, of course, before Super Tuesday. Ordinarily this wouldn't be a problem, except that becuase the Senate added a number of provisions Republicans don't like (particularly an extension of unemployment benefits), Reid may need Obama's and Clinton's votes to pass the measure. Which means the already-short Super Tuesday campaign may have just gotten a half a day shorter.

Incidentally, as the article notes, this also puts McCain in a bind: he can either vote for a primarily Democratic package conservatives dislike, further alienating him from his base, or he can cast a no vote that might come back to haunt him in the general election. I'm wondering if that wasn't Reid's main consideration in scheduling the vote for Monday.

--Josh Patashnik