The Hotline blog says Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist offered to fix the tip credit problem in the trifecta bill to get Maria Cantwell's vote.

Cantwell refused Frist's entreaties and enticements to vote for cloture on the Trifecta bill. Frist offered to further fix the tip adjustment matrix that poisoned the minimum wage increase for many Democrats, but Cantwell sent word that she was not open to changing her mind.

So now, per a senior Republican aide: "We won the last 2 elections and beat Tom Daschle by campaigning against Democrat obstructionism. This could be the gift we were looking for.

And Frist will be here soon to deliver it in person. He is holding two fundraisers in the state for Mike McGavick on the 14th. Hotline says Washington is the first stop on Frist's August recess travels.

UPDATE: It doesn't sound like Frist offered a very good deal. Cantwell aide Michael Meehan said that Cantwell talked to Frist by telephone Wednesday night. Cantwell said she had a problem with the minimum wage proposal and Frist said "Well, maybe we can work on a fix."

Cantwell wanted to know what that fix would be, and the only thing she got as a follow up was a copy of the U.S. Department of Labor letter to Frist that said the tip provision was open to interpretation and that the department would work with Congress to clarify it.

"It was clearly not a fix," Meehan said. And that's why Cantwell turned it down and voted against the measure.

UPDATE: Frist's press secretary, Carolyn Weyforth, says by e-mail that Frist was willing to do whatever it took to satisfy Cantwell's concerns:

Sen. Frist told Sen. Cantwell that he would work with her on this issue and to fix the tip credit in anyway that she wanted, clearly she did not take the Senator up on this offer because she voted against the bill.

UPDATE: I just read the e-mail traffic from Wednesday night between the Frist and Cantwell staffers on this issue. Frist's office thought one potential solution was for the state legislature to fix the problem.

Cantwell aide Jennifer Griffith e-mailed Frist aide Rohit Kumar:

How is this a solution? Senator Cantwell cannot bind a future legislature to never increasing the minimum wage, unless they also accept a mandated tip credit.

Kumar responds:

If this doesn't work, do you have a fix that would allow Sen. Cantwell
to vote for cloture on Friday? Maybe a state opt-out?

And Griffith ends the exchange:

Sen. Cantwell believes a package that completely omits the tip penalty
provisions in this bill would be worth discussing.

Here's the U.S. Department of Labor letter that Frist was relying on to say the tip credit would not mean a drop in the minimum wage here.

And here's what Cantwell sent out last night with a letter from the state Department of Labor and Industries with its analysis.

UPDATE: I just heard from Weyforth again, clearly upset at what has become a public spat between Frist and Cantwell. She says what the e-mails don't show is that:

Frist picked up the phone, to call her and discuss her omission provision, before their release went out. She wouldn't take his call and was avoiding him on the senate floor and now low and behold inter-office emails appear on your blog... That is a new low.

Weyforth said the Department of Labor letter was sent to Cantwell's office at the request of her staff, not as a proposed fix from the majority leader. Frist wanted to follow up but never was able to connect again with Cantwell. Weyforth said if Cantwell's office says there was no fix offered, it is "only because they didn't want to hear the solution."