An amended version made it through the House.  It now goes to the Senate for another working over before it is presented to Bush (assuming it makes it through the Senate, which I seriously doubt).

Interesting that after 5 years of the likes of Intel and Microsoft throwing big money to lobbiests to make this happen, it got nowhere till the Dems moved in (just an observation).  Bush has made me turn Independent, the Dems will keep me there....

It is also noteable that the GOP and Bush have seemingly favored big Pharma over the past several years.  Big Pharma is violently opposed to this patent reform.

Thus, I think this legislation is DOA in the Senate, and if not, it will be when it gets to the Oval Office.  In the latter case, I believe there is no way the Senate could muster a 2/3 vote to override a Bush veto.

As has been written by some journalists, the Dems probably KNEW this, and this whole thing was essentially a scam to fill the Dems coffers before the next election.

No political twist intended (though I may be tap-dancing on thin ice - at least I'm not tap-dancing while sitting in a men's room stahl! LOL).  Hey, I'm an Independent, and we don't even have a viable candidate!  But believe it or not, I hope Lou Dobbs reconsiders (so much for my Fred Astaire impression - where's Ginger when you need her?!).

SGE