Between the letter and this, it seems that if Democrats hurry up and cave on the tax cuts, Republicans can get around to killing DADT, the DREAM Act, and extending unemployment benefits:
Senate Republicans could block controversial legislation during the lame-duck Congress until a deal on tax cuts is worked out, GOP Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.) suggested Wednesday. [...]
"One thing I think we all agreed on at the White House is that we ought to do first things first," McConnell said in an interview with ABC News. "And what the American people want to know is, are our taxes going up, and how are you going to fund the government. Let's do those things first, and see what kind of time is left."
Asked whether that meant the Senate would have time to tackle all the other issues like repealing "Don't ask, don't tell," passing the DREAM Act, or extending unemployment benefits, McConnell said: "No, I don't think so."
But really, the best line in the article comes from Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid's spokesman:
Anyone looking for the GOP's strategy in lame duck, here it is.
No! Really? Well, no one could have seen this one coming. Who would have ever suspected that the GOP would follow the exact same strategy that they have used for the past two years?
This bipartisanship thing is going really well so far.