Now THIS is what I call “taking the lead” in the Senate.

Senate demands overtime pay for all eligible workers despite Bush administration proposal
Boston.com

WASHINGTON (AP) Labor Secretary Elaine Chao is standing by her agency's proposed new overtime regulations despite a 52-47 Senate vote that signaled dissatisfaction with the Bush administration's work on the subject and underscored the election-year importance of pocketbook issues. . . .

[You may recall, Senator Tom Harkin likened the Bush Admin's cosmetic changes to the proposal to cut overtime pay to putting “lipstick on a pig.”]

''Every member of the House has to stand for election this year,'' said Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, chief architect of the proposal that cleared the Senate.

''The administration just doesn't get it,'' added Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, D-Mass. ''But the Senate got it today and we hope the House will get it as well.''

The vote was an unusual setback for the administration in the Republican-controlled Senate, and a victory for organized labor.

(more)

Well done, Senator Harkin!