And although the settlement's prospects of passing seem dim, both parties even the Republicans, grateful recipients of much tobacco money agree that some legislation against tobacco would go down well with voters.
Secretary of State John Kerry faced further ire on Wednesday after saying the settlements threaten prospects for peace in the region.
California's participation in the settlement, a prospect that was in jeopardy until the last minute, also helped increase the size of the deal, including for other states.
Unilateral separation -- that is, fixing a border between Israel and the Palestinians without a negotiated agreement -- can be realized only if Israel is willing to uproot about 100 settlements, a prospect that is unrealistic in the absence of a peace accord.
In 2000, when Jasmin Imamović became mayor of Tuzla, it was a dilapidated, swampy mining settlement short on prospects.
Even with that settlement, however, the prospect of significant recoveries against those who enabled Mr. Madoff's fraud have been put in some doubt by Judge Rakoff's decision.
No full settlement is in prospect, but a few small measures could still usefully be taken.Earlier in the summer, when it seemed that the islanders might soon start on long-promised talks to join the European Union, some small hope flickered.
Some Middle East analysts said the Obama administration may have concluded that there was no value in continuing to press Israel about settlements, when the prospects for peace negotiations seemed remote.
There is another problem with a peace settlement: even the prospect of a deal with the Taliban is causing deep unease among the leaders of the country's minority groups — among them the members of Jamiat-e-Islami, who dominate large sections of the Afghan Army.
In one way it is a reassuring sign of normality that Mr Paisley's party was forced into this week's settlement by the prospect of Northern Ireland's citizens receiving their first water rates and the threat of the Northern Ireland secretary, Peter Hain, to weaken the province's excellent grammar schools.
