Happy St. Patrick's Day. No, I am not wearing green. I don't do that. That's an Oregon color.

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Health care: the recruiting battle.

This is completely true: Dennis Kucinich will announce how he is going to vote on healthcare at 10 am today. This he'll pick between an Obama hat and an American flag lapel pin? This is so far beyond ridiculous.

Of course, this kind of thing isn't altogether unusual, but generally they just leak it and have the media do some legwork. The media doesn't really do that anymore though (or at least not the media you watch - remember newspapers?).

The consensus is that the bill must be presented today in order for it to be voted on before the president leaves town on Sunday. That is to allow the House to abide by the 72 hour rule (bills must be posted online for 72 hours before being voted on - you know, unless Nancy Pelosi decides otherwise).

One final health care note: apparently Dems are 11 votes shy in the House as of this moment. By the I hit 'publish' it's anyone's guess. That's it, I'm done talking about it.

Okay, one more thing. I refuse to talk about this process stuff. If someone has a specific question, I'll answer it. Here is a New York Times piece that talks a little about the "Slaughter" rule. My problem is simple: this stuff happens all the time. If you think Democrats and Republicans have never used this sorts of "tricks" before, you're way wrong. It is part of the process and the reason the process shouldn't be televised. Most people just don't understand it. I took a class in which it was my job to understand and I don't get all of it. Rest assured of one thing though: it will require a vote. Even though it is just a rule they may be explicitly voting on, every senator knows what's in that rules bill. They are free to vote no. Also, this brings the statement Harry Reid brought up yesterday to the forefront. Right now Republicans are complaining that Pelosi isn't going to have a vote, but in the Senate the same part has been doing everything he can to block him from having the same vote.

This is what I mean. It's process and people don't understand process. Pass the bill and people won't remember it when they have health insurance. I firmly believe that. All of this complaining about the process is political. If you have a problem with the bill, vote 'no'. That's how this whole thing is supposed to work.

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- A great chart in the Washington Post showing fence-sitters on health care.

- One of the stories being somewhat overshadowed is Israel, where VP Biden was embarrassed last week during a visit. The administration hasn't taken to kindly to that, or much of anything Israel has done lately. Maureen Dowd used her Wednesday column to write about it. It is fact that the U.S. has seemingly always used the kid gloves with Israel, maybe because we're the only ones still so committed, but even a slight change in our position could mean a lot more stability in the region.

- For my hometown readers, the Seattle Times casts an editorial against health care, saying this isn't the right bill or the right time. When exactly will the 'right time' be?

- The Senate is getting closer to new jobs legislation.

- There is a bill in the House Judiciary Committee right now, attempting to prevent states from banning ex-felons from voting. It includes this link, showing in general terms the laws of every state. These are literally all over the place. In Washington state, felons are allowed to vote after the completion of their sentence. However, I think (key word here, because I am not 100% sure) that you have to apply to have your vote reinstated. It takes a little more than just registering.

Why is this important? 1-in-8 black men are convicted felons. As the story notes:

In Virginia, almost 7% of the entire voting-age population is disenfranchised due to a past felony conviction; and almost 20% of the state's African American population is locked out of the voting booth.

- Tiger Woods is coming back for the Masters. Most pundits are right - this is perfect. Completely controlled environment. He may even be able to skirt the media (unlikely), but he will definitely be able to avoid wild fan criticism. Not sure that is all good, but hey, I've never been to sex rehab either.

Finally, I like this only because the headline is funny. That said, and I can't believe I'm saying that, I happen to somewhat agree with Sen. Jim Inhofe on this topic. This money is already going to spent, so by not allowing it to be directed toward in-district projects, you simply don't allow members to represent their own constituents. Cutting "pork" won't cut the deficit. That said, if you vote against a bill that might provide money to your district, then celebrate the new bridge opened with that federal funding, that is still hypocrisy.