You’ve no doubt heard the old saying about money and Washington: a billion here, a billion there, and pretty soon you’re talking about real money. That seems to be the case for fixing U.S. healthcare.

President Barack Obama got some good news from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office yesterday, which estimated that a healthcare plan by the Senate Finance Committee would cost $829 billion. CBO said this plan would cut the budget deficit by $81 billion over 10 years.

There was good news this morning too, as the Labor Department reported new unemployment claims at a nine-month low.

These moves are so recent they haven’t shown up in polls tracking whether Americans approve of how Obama is doing his job. The president’s job approval rating has been wiggling around 52 percent for the last three weeks, according to an average of poll results by RealClearPolitics.com. Disapproval ratings for the same period floated around 42 percent.

He’s still doing far better than Congress as a whole, which generally gets dismal poll ratings. It certainly is now, with the RealClearPolitics average approval rating at 25.8 percent, with a 66.5 disapproval rating.

Which brings up today’s question: is this kind of minute attention to polls worthwhile? Does it impede the business of government? Is it interesting to anybody outside the Washington Beltway? Let us know.

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Photo credit: REUTERS/Choi Bu-Seok (Hundred dollar bills a headquarters of Korea Exchange Bank, October 8, 2009)

Looking for that perfect gift for the holidays?

Hillary Clinton’s mom, Dorothy Rodham, has a suggestion for you — a children’s book about her daughter.  For a slightly-higher-than-retail price you can even get the book autographed by Clinton and help her pay down her campaign debt.

The unique gift suggestion and campaign donation idea was sent around in an email from Dorothy Rodham entitled “A Perfect Gift.”

Here’s a copy of the email:

“I’m so proud of everything my daughter has accomplished and excited about what her future holds.

“Her life is full of amazing achievements, and her story has inspired millions of people, especially young girls, to achieve their dreams, no matter what they are.

“There’s a wonderful book about her life I’d like to share with you. It’s called Hillary Clinton: Dreams Taking Flight, and it is the perfect way to share my daughter’s story with a child you want to inspire.

“As you know, Hillary is still working hard to pay down the debt from her campaign, and I hope you’ll take this opportunity to help her out. With your contribution of $50, you will receive a copy of Dreams Taking Flight with a specially designed Hillary Clinton bookplate.

“And for that special person in your life, with a contribution of $250 or more, you will receive a book that’s personally signed by Hillary to him or her by name.

“I know you’re just as proud as I am of everything my daughter has achieved, and I want to thank you for everything you’ve done to support her!

“Thanks,

“Dorothy”

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Picture credit: (Image emailed by Hillary Clinton for President campaign; book by Kathleen Krull, illustrations by Amy June Bates)

WASHINGTON - Republican John McCain’s warning that Barack Obama isn’t ready for the awesome job of commander-in-chief may not be registering with a key constituency: the American military.

According to a study released by the Washington watchdog group Center for Responsive Politics, U.S. troops, and especially those deployed abroad, are talking with their wallets and saying they want Democrat Obama as the next president.

Obama has received nearly six times as much money from troops deployed overseas at the time of their contributions than McCain and the “fiercely anti-war Ron Paul,” another Republican presidential candidate, CRP said.

According to the group, Obama received $60,642 in contributions from 134 troops deployed abroad. McCain only got $10,665 from 26 soldiers, while Paul received $45,512 from 99 troops.

Through June 31, CRP said contributions from all U.S. military personnel netted Obama $335,536, compared with $280,513 for McCain.

McCain, a Vietnam veteran and prisoner of war, has been a vocal supporter of the Iraq war, while Obama, who never served in the military, has campaigned on a promise of ending the war, now in its sixth year.

CRP notes the trend in campaign contributions is especially interesting given that those serving in the military traditionally lean toward Republican candidates.

But in the McCain-Obama race, only those serving in the Marine Corps are contributing more heavily to the Republican than the Democrat. Even the Navy, where McCain spent his military career, is favoring Obama by significant margins, CRP said.

One possible reason for Obama’s advantage: “The Obama campaign has just been so much savvier with Web-based donors. It may be a logistical question,” University of California political science professor Aaron Belkin tells the group.

Click here for more Reuters 2008 campaign coverage.

- Photo credit: Reuters/Mike Blake (U.S. military personnel salute at a baseball game, June 9)