All Blog Posts from Couric & Co.

Jill Jackson is a Capitol Hill field producer for CBS News.

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The Senate successfully put its stamp on the House economic stimulus package by adding seniors living on Social Security and 250,000 disabled veterans to the rebate-recipient list.

After the Senate and House agreed to the modified package yesterday, Senate majority leader Harry Reid, Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, House speaker Nancy Pelosi, Minority Leader John Boehner and even Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson gave a last-minute press conference. They touted their great accomplishment and praised themselves for showing they can put political differences aside and put the American people first.

The group of unlikely cohorts standing side by side in front of American flags made a pretty picture. Reid said it was "an example of how government is supposed to work."

The lesson of the last two weeks, though, is that the road to bipartisan agreement can be smooth, but it can also be treacherous.

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Jill Jackson is a Capitol Hill field producer for CBS News.

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There's extra incentive this year to file tax returns as early as possible. The sooner you file, the earlier the IRS will cut that check so you can spend, spend, spend and stimulate the sluggish economy.

But don't go racking up credit card debt now assuming you can pay it off with that rebate. While the House and the Bush administration managed to compromise on a fairly simple stimulus package, the Senate can't nail down when they'll even vote on the House version and a much broader plan passed by the Senate Finance Committee yesterday. It's so broad, in fact, that opponents like Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell accused the Finance Committee of taking a "Christmas tree approach" that will delay economic growth.

Cutting through the spin on both sides, what are the real differences?

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