The Democratic housing bill would change bankruptcy laws to allow judges to cut interest rates and reduce what's owed on troubled borrowers' mortgages, provide $4 billion to communities to purchase and rehabilitate foreclosed homes, and improve disclosure of subprime mortgage loans in hopes that borrowers won't be surprised by big payment increases.

But the White House said the $4 billion for purchases of foreclosed homes is too expensive and "would constitute a bailout for lenders

An inappropriate use of taxpayer dollars is what President Bush and Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson call some plans in Congress to aid homeowners stung by the mortgage market mess. For their part, Democrats say the Bush administration is more interested in bailing out Wall Street than Main Street.

But despite the toxic reputation of bailouts, more and more lifelines keep getting tossed — including one administration plan dubbed "Project Lifeline."

With the housing market wheezing and presidential candidates seizing on the crisis, politicians and government officials will likely toss out more proposals, rescue plans and initiatives. Whatever these plans are called, both Democrats and Republicans are being careful to couch their proposals as an effort to aid homeowners — and not mortgage lenders — amid an ever-widening economic problem, though it's nearly impossible to aid one without helping the other.

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