Overshadowed by all of the coverage of the Health Care Summit was a battle among Democrats over a jobs bill and a nasty spat on the Senate floor on a short term extension of extended jobless benefits and health aid for the unemployed.

The jobs battle was over that $15 billion plan approved by the Senate on Wednesday, which Democratic leaders wanted the House to quickly approve.

But a revolt over changes in the formulas for certain highway funding programs - detailed on this blog earlier this week - left Democratic leaders short on votes Thursday night, unable to approve the bill.

Led by a powerful committee chairman, Rep. James Oberstar (D-MN), lawmakers charge that the funding formula changes help only four states - California and Illinois among them - while 22 states get no extra money at all for road and bridge work.

Also in the mix were Blue Dog Democrats, who wanted the jobs bill paid for - remember that PAYGO law that was just approved this month?

And then there are liberals who think the bill isn't big enough.

So, without the backing of many members of the House Transportation Committee, and without the Blue Dogs because of budget concerns and a few others, the jobs bill didn't get passed.  We'll see if that changes on Friday or not.

Meanwhile in the Senate, things got ugly as Sen. Jim Bunning (R-KY) single-handedly blocked a short term extension for a series of plans, including extended jobless benefits and COBRA health benefits for the unemployed.

Bunning refused to allow the $10 billion short term bill to be approved because it wasn't paid for, noting that it would be the second time - in less than two weeks since the PAYGO law was signed - that the Senate had made an end run around it.

On the Senate floor, Bunning denounced the trillions that have been added to the national debt in recent years, "There's gotta to be a time to stop that."

The Republican from Kentucky - who is not exactly a fan favorite of many in the Senate - said it could easily be paid for with unspent money from the economic stimulus.

Bunning's move was denounced by a series of Democratic Senators, who kept the Senate in late into the night on Thursday, blasting Bunning over and over on the Senate floor.

"I just don't think one Senator oughta be able to heap this kind of suffering and misfortune onto people who are already suffering in this economy," said Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL), who used every baseball metaphor he could find to rip Bunning, a former Major League Baseball star.

"This is a wild pitch you're throwing tonight because it is a pitch that's hitting somebody in the stands," said Durbin.

Bunning's objection is a reminder of the unique ways of the Senate - where one Senator - can delay action on legislation at any time.

But this move is about more than just jobless benefits and COBRA, because next week, the Senate will now have extensive debate on this 30-day temporary extension bill, which will include:

A renewal of the National Flood Insurance Program
renewal of the Satellite Home Viewers Act
extension of certain small business loan provisions
extended jobless benefits
COBRA health aid
a delay in a 21 percent cut in Medicare physician payments - the so-called "Doc Fix"

"All of these are emergency spending and are not paid for," read an email alert sent to Democratic Senators last night about the legislation situation.

Not only will the Senate have to tackle all of that next week, but Democratic Leaders also want to approve a series of tax breaks and credits that expired at the end of last year, what are known up here as the "Tax Extenders".

That cost is about $31 billion - and it won't be paid for with offsetting budget cuts, either.