Senate vote on energy bill today

Well, it's come down to the wire, and neither side has the votes yet to prevail.

At question is whether 16 Democrats will jump ship to support the $40 billion bloated, industry give-away of a bill, and whether any more Republicans will defect to rescue some notion of fiscal responsibility.

But a growing number of Democrats, with at least six Republicans, criticized the legislation, say it cost too much, would dole out billions of dollars to special interests and would hurt the environment.  

The bill has "glaring examples of industry favors," said Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., one of the six GOP senators strongly opposed to the legislation. He called it a "Thanksgiving turkey" stuffed with goodies for special interests.  

Sen. Judd Gregg, R-N.H., objected to the bill's price tag -- an estimated $31 billion over 10 years -- arguing that the measure exceeds the congressional budget ceiling.  

Supporters needed at least 60 votes to overcome the threatened filibuster and the claims of budget violations.  

Sen. Pete Domenici, R-N.M., the bill's floor leader, said he was confident of support from the majority of senators that would be needed to pass the 1,148-page bill. But whether there were the 60 votes need to cut short debate was another matter, as senators on both sides hunted for support in the final hours.  

"This bill is teetering on the edge of survival right now," said Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y.  

Note how Schumer is filling the void created by our AWOL leader Daschle...