Round One In The Great Spending Fight Ends In A Draw

Round one in The Big Spending Fight of 2007 resulted in a draw Tuesday night.

Democrats earned their first veto override since President Bush moved into the White House, overriding his opposition to a bill authorizing $23 billion for flood prevention, wetlands protection and other water projects throughout the country.

And Republican leaders held just enough of their members to sustain the president's promised veto of a spending package that married veterans' funding with money for the Department of Labor and the Department of Health and Human Services.

But there were no butterflies floating or bees stinging on the House floor, and it was premature for either side to climb atop the ropes, with one gloved fist aloft, and proclaim themselves "King of the World."

Instead, it was a yeoman's effort for both parties Tuesday night as those scrappy Republicans ducked and jabbed for a very narrow win and the Democrats' co-opted a broad majority of their rivals to override the president for the first time since they wrested power from the GOP one year ago this week.

So, like most title fights, the first round was more about sizing up the opponent than scoring actual punches.