The bill scored well

It was not exactly sausage, but the omnibus funding bill that made its way through Congress on Sept. 30 was close to Bismarck's definition of making legislation,

The political expediency of an election year once again enabled passage of major banking legislation that might not have made it on its own under usual circumstances.

Just a week or so earlier, House Banking Committee Chairman Jim Leach (R-IA) had had efforts to pass his BIF/SAIF package rebuffed by the House Rules Committee. The Rules Committee determined votes were not available for passage and did not even have its scheduled meeting to consider reporting the bill to the House floor.

However, on another …