For years, one of the most grisly—yet truthful—jokes in Washington has been that decent estate planners are advising their clients to make plans to die during 2010.  This is because the heirs of anyone dying that year—regardless of the size of the estate—wouldn’t have to pay any estate tax.  A current variation has estate planners learning CPR and how to use a defibrillator in order to keep clients alive to see midnight plus one second in 2009 because of a major estate-tax liability reduction that takes effect next year.  But the situation is no joke, and anyone running for House ...