I sit with Governor David Patterson in his car, watching a heavy snow fall on the tarmac of LaGuardia Airport. We are waiting for a plane to take us to Andrews Air Force Base, where we will meet Reps. Anthony Weiner (D-NY), Ed Whitfield (R-KY) and Tom Cole (R-OK); and then board a military flight to Iraq and Afghanistan. Nearly 10,000 New York troops are in Iraq and Afghanistan. Some are on their third deployment and the strains are acute during the holidays. The purpose of our visit is to provide moral support and also to assess rapidly changing conditions in two separate military theaters.

If the holiday season is getting too festive, sit with me at a House Appropriations Committee hearing with three State Governors about the effect of the economy on state and local budgets. Last Thursday, Governors John Corzine (D-NJ), Jim Douglas (R-VT), and Jim Doyle (D-WI) testified about massive budget cuts, social disruption, and economic dislocation. It was the policy version of "It's A Wonderful Life," where states and localities are becoming Pottersville.