Two days after the House of Representatives left the nation and its economic fate twisting in the wind, the Senate passed a costly bailout plan and showed how leadership is done.

The 435 members of the House get a do-over tomorrow, and if they've learned anything in four days it's that politics is hard, legislation isn't perfect and public service can require courage. Let's take them one at a time.

• Hollywood couldn't have scripted a more torturous moment for a congressional vote on the largest government intervention in the economy since the Great Depression. But whether it's a month or a year before Election Day, doing nothing, according to a wide range of non-partisan economists, is not an option. Whoever thought serving in Congress would be easy?

• A $700 billion rescue dumped on the national debt is expensive enough, but to woo votes the Senate tacked on $150 billion in tax breaks for businesses and individuals. Some of the add-ons are good, particularly those that promote energy alternatives, but the higher price tag is going to enlarge the federal deficit. Bad idea. The trouble is these sweeteners would not have been necessary had the House approved the first bill.

• Some House members are keeping a wary eye on their Nov. 4 opponents as they decide how to vote on the package. That's only natural, but voters will more readily reward a leader who acts, on principle and with careful study, in the public's best interest than a shiftless follower with a finger to the latest wind.

Today every House member gets to decide which one they are.