Democrats Seek Probe of Medicare Estimates (washingtonpost.com)

"Claims that the Bush administration withheld cost estimates of last year's Medicare prescription drug law prompted Democratic lawmakers yesterday to demand investigations and a GOP leader to say the reports are hurting his party's credibility.

Two Democratic senators wrote to President Bush, calling on him to bar any retaliation against Medicare's chief actuary, who last week said an administration official had threatened to fire him if he showed Congress his projected costs of the bill to add a drug benefit to Medicare. Meanwhile, half a dozen House Democrats have asked the inspector general of the Department of Health and Human Services to investigate the actuary's allegations. "

It's good to see a contentious press and a querelous congress for a change! Finally I get the impression that some semblance of democratic process still exists in the US.