DeLong Way Around A Legislative Objective

Brad DeLong makes an excellent point about the orgy of credibility-trashing engaged in by Hill Republicans (especially the ones in the Senate) in conference committees over the last several years:

Grassley's problem is that whatever deals he strikes in the Senate will be reversed when the bill goes to the conference committee. He needs a commitment from the Republican House leadership that they will pass the Senate bill unaltered. That's where the breakdown of legislative process has gotten us. That's a piece of paper Grassley needs to have in his hand before he can move anything that isn't partisan posturing out of his committee.

It would be nice if some print journalist somewhere would write something about how the present gridlock is in large part a result of the use made of conference committees since the start of 2001.