More on Frist and 2006

More from Kondracke:

Frist said "we can’t set our expectations too high" for specific accomplishments because of "a short legislative calendar," and because of Democratic "slow-rolling and obstruction."

Reuters (myemphasiss):

Legislation to create a $140 billion fund to compensate people with asbestos-related diseases will be dead for the year if it does not survive key Senate votes this week, Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist said on Tuesday.

"If we are unsuccessful this week in addressing asbestos, that's it for this year," Frist, a Tennessee Republican, told reporters outside the Senate.

(snip)

Frist said he did not know whether supporters of the bill had the votes to defeat an objection from Sen. John Ensign, a Nevada Republican. Ensign said the bill could force U.S. taxpayers to pick up some costs, in violation of budget rules.

*UPDATE* If you were wondering, the bill is sidelined, but if my math holds, it's set to pass:

The Senate decided on Tuesday night to all but kill legislation to create a $140 billion fund to compensate victims of asbestos poisoning.

Supporters of the measure, led by Senator Arlen Specter, Republican of Pennsylvania, fell just short of the 60 votes needed to waive a budget objection raised about the legislation. The final vote was 58 to 41, and with powerful interests on both sides it did not break down along party lines.

Senator Bill Frist, the Republican majority leader and a strong supporter of the legislation, changed his vote from yes to no at the last moment so he would have the option of calling for a recount "at some later date," he said.

Still, advocates for the measure held out hope that they could reverse the outcome. On Tuesday night, Senator Specter, its chief sponsor, issued a statement that the one senator who was absent from the chamber, Daniel K. Inouye, Democrat of Hawaii, had told him he would vote to waive the budget objection but he had gone home because his wife was ill.

With Inouye and Frist's votes, that's a 60-40 split. So unless someone flips, the awful idea of limiting asbestos rewards nationwide to a total of $140 million is set to pass.

That means that if 140 million people are affected by asbestos, they each get a dollar for their medical problems. That should cover their medical expenses, right?