Olympia Snowe Could Decide Outcome of Huge Gay Senate Showdown

• Today the Senate will vote on whether to begin talking about the possibility of maybe repealing "don't ask, don't tell." Don't get too excited, because nobody expects this cataclysmic measure to actually pass . And why should it? The Senate is not an appropriate place to be having these sorts of discussions. But thankfully Lady Gaga got herself a new hairdo and then held a rally in Maine, in hopes of talkin' turkey with Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins -- two Republicans who might possibly be "persuaded" to help the Democrats defeat the anticipated Republican filibuster. (Lady Gaga wore the turkey on her naked body, and then Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins took turns nibbling.) [ CNN ]

• Official budget estimates show that allowing the Bush tax cuts to expire would significantly reduce the national deficit. Meanwhile, polls show Americans can't decide whether extending Bush's tax cuts for the wealthiest two percent of our country is an awesome idea or just "oh, if you insist." What? [ WaPo ]

• In other Economic News: Barack Obama will probably fire Timothy Geithner and Larry Summers, because they "need to spend more time with their families," but also because they ruined the economy. [ WSJ ]