Some woofing of big dogs

• PA Governor Ed Rendell apparently caught state legislators off-guard when he suggested a rare special session dedicated to tax relief. Perhaps he's trying to find a way to force simultaneous consideration of all the various proposals from both sides of the aisle made in recent weeks. If so, new revenues from casinos and shifts of income and sales tax structures could all be on the table -- whew!
  
  
• Meanwhile, US Rep. Chaka Fattah just moved one step closer to becoming an official candidate for Philadelphia's Democratic mayoral nomination next year: the FEC has given him the go-ahead to raise and spend unlimited funds while pursuing the possibilities. This is just a draft opinion, but if it gets an official stamp next Thursday, expect to see Fattah start shaking the trees...