Yesterday, Democrats and Republicans finally found compromise on an issue that has been dogging Congress for weeks.  Democrats essentially agreed to $38.5 million in cuts to the current year's fiscal budget-- more than they would have liked after initially only agreeing to about $30 million-- while Republicans removed controversial "riders" attached to the budget bill that would have cut funding for Planned Parenthood and enivronmental programs.

The deal came just an hour before the government would have run out of funds and would have initiated the first shutdown of the federal government in 15 years.  Although agreeing to the compromise in principal, both sides had to pass another temporary spending bill so that lawmakers could actually draft the budget legislation to be eventually signed by President Obama.

Thus ends the budget battle for this year's fiscal budget.  But, to be sure, this solution is only the solution for the current year's budget.  The bigger and, in many ways, more important battle will be over next year's fiscal budget.  Leading Republican on the House Budget Committee Paul Ryan made a bold step last week by putting out the GOP plan which looks to slash $6 trillion in government spending over the next decade.  Rather than waiting for the President and Democrats to put out their plan, Republicans have now open the doors to criticsm to their own proposal.  But, give them credit, they've also showed leadership and a type of political courage that Democrats-- President Obama, particularly, included-- have not.