Permanent Minority vs. Towards the Majority

Here's my latest Permanent Minority/Towards the Majority piece for the upcoming edition of The Nation magazine:

PERMANENT MINORITY: Six Senate Democrats joined Republicans in voting against a measure to preserve soldiers' minimum bankruptcy protections from debts incurred when they leave better-paying jobs for service in Iraq.

TOWARD THE MAJORITY: West Virginia Representative Alan Mollohan (D) is sponsoring a resolution to force the GOP to restore ethics rules it gutted earlier this year. The resolution, which is peeling off some GOP support, would allow the ethics committee to proceed with an investigation of corruption allegations against majority leader Tom DeLay.