White House, Senate unveil final, even stupider 'fiscal cliff' deal. Vote expected tonight.

In a last homage to epic legislative incompetence to close out this year, the White House and the Senate have apparently agreed to give hostage taking Republicans still more of what they wanted in order to close a deal that puts off the current fiscal cliff for ' two mere months:

Senate Republicans said negotiators also agreed to put off $110 billion in across-the-board cuts to military and domestic programs for two months while broader deficit reduction talks continue. Those cuts begin to go into force on Wednesday Jan. 2, and that deadline too might be missed before Congress approves the deal.

The new deadline lines up, not coincidentally, with the deadline for once again raising the debt ceiling. That fight is expected to be even more bitter than this one, with Republicans expecting they will be in a much better position for another round of hostage-taking. Democrats also have apparently agreed to new concessions on indexing the estate tax (apparently even dead rich people need catering to, now, if we're to continue basic government functions.)

The Senate is expected to vote tonight. As for what the House will do tomorrow, it's anyone's guess. We shall see if these latest two concessions'the most important one being a promise to revisit this entire incompetent, buffoonish fiasco in a mere 60 days, but with the looming threat of tax increases removed from over Republican heads'are enough to convince the House to pass the current deal in spite of their current hurt fee-fees.