In a letter sent Friday, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) invited President Bush (R-$$) to a sit down to discuss the "relatively small differences" between spending legislation making its way through Congress and the president's request. Hoping to avoid a budget showdown, the Democratic leaders are seeking to meet Bush somewhere in between.

People who downplay inequality are like the cranks who don't believe in global warming. They find evidence on the margin that is supposed to cast doubt on the macrophenomenon. They bob and weave, admit this exists, but say we can't do anything about it, etc. etc. David Brooks is inequality's equivalent of the American Petroleum Institute. His column ($) today provides a fine example of the type of sophistry he peddles. Let's examine: First, pile on the studies that downplay inequality, so you seem like you know what you're talking about and overwhelm your audience. The first complicating fact is that after a lag, average wages are rising sharply. Real average wages rose by 2 percent in 2006, the second fastest rise in 30 years.