These items could come at a better time for the president. First, Senate Democrats decide they will not try to use the filibuster-proof budget reconciliation process in order to push carbon cap-and-trade. Second, they will be sacrificing President Obama’s vaunted $400 “making work pay” tax-credit in the out-years in order to make his mammoth budget deficits more palatable.

Read all about it from the Associated Press here.