Let's reverse the usual order and start with the bad news: Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid says he's willing to waive "pay as you go" rules [1] to get a one-year fix for the alternative minimum tax. It didn't make a difference yesterday, but this will certainly be a factor when the Senate tries again in December. [2]And this could be serious bad news for fiscal responsibility. [2]

The good news is that the Senate Democrats seem to be backing away from a plan to limit access to key documents [3] federal agencies submit to explain their budget requests. They were getting hit from all [4] sides [5] on this one -- and certainly it would be a blow to the cause of transparency and trust. [5]