Quid pro quo?

Senator Ben Nelson (D-NE), is greenlighted for a seat on the Senate Appropriations Comittee. Whoa. Now how would a second-term, conservative-voting democrat from Nebraska, of all places, suddenly rate a seat on the Pork Cmte? As a reward for voting with the democrats in the past? Not likely. As an incentive to vote with a more liberal agenda in the future? Mayhaps. I think this maneuver is a tacit admission by the Senate Democrats that the election swing was more centrist, rather than the Liberal Landslide they've been crowing about on TV.

All through the campaign, Nelson's talked about fiscal responsibility, which simultaneously crowing about the pork he's brought home. What's his line going to be, now that he's got a seat right next to the barrel, with his hand on the lid?

Nelson said he’ll approach the task with three goals in mind:

* identify and reduce needless spending.

* improve transparency and accountability in the appropriations process.

* work with local officials in Nebraska to “ensure Nebraska priorities are recognized in the Senate.”

What that means, Nelson said in a telephone interview, is that “Nebraska is going to get its fair share now.”

By "fair share", I would imagine that means a restrained approach to appropriations, or does it mean that we'll get our "fair share" of needless spending?

And now that Nebraska has a hand in the cookie jar, how beholden are we to the folks that pushed the chair to the kitchen counter? We'll just have to watch his voting record this term to see if there's a sudden shift to the Left.