What did Congress give the American people for Christmas? A puppy? A new sled? Peace on earth? Goodwill?

Correct answer: a lump of coal. Not "clean coal," either. Plain old dirty black-lung-causing coal from a mountaintop-removal mine. Yesterday Congress allocated $70 billion in war funding with no timetable for withdrawal, and punted SCHIP expansion to 2009. The American people wanted the exact opposite on both counts.

Oh, there's plenty of blame to go around. Congress passed two bipartisan SCHIP expansion bills, but President Bush protected us from "socialized medicine" both times, and just enough brave Representatives stayed the course with him to beat back an override. Despite an overwhelming mandate for withdrawal from Iraq, Congress has attached nary a string to war funding, effectively giving the administration carte blanche to keep the military in Iraq in whatever numbers for however long it sees fit.

Direct defiance of the popular will is what the federal government gives us for Christmas. And it's doubly galling that they give us war and deny us healthcare while passing resolutions in support of celebrating the birth of the prince of peace, who healed the sick and brought good news to the poor.