Okay, I knew that already. But I was astonished to read what my conservative BFF, Bruce Fein, had to say about Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi on Tuesday.
What about the 100 hours legislation that the House passed, much of which the Senate signed off on too? (If Bush vetoed it, that certainly redounds to Bush, not the Speaker.) I may be naive, but legislation to help end lobbyist influence in Congress, enact the 9/11 recommendations, legalize and fund stem cell research, cut interest rates for college loans in half, roll back subsidies to Big Oil, and raise the minimum wage seems neither small-minded, nor directed towards gaining earmarks.
As for the FISA legislation, which the majority of Democrats voted against, Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid did not support the Administration's position on FISA, and voted against the passage of the bill. In fact, even though it sunsets in 6 months, Speaker Pelosi wrote John Conyers and Silvestre Reyes right after the law was passed, and stated her intention to revisit the legislation immediately upon Congress' return in September.
I haven't seen much press coverage on that letter, have you?
As for weakening Congress, bear in mind that the Republics have been rolling over for Bush since Day 1 of his Preznitcy. The Democrats inherited very slight control of a house rotting from within for the past 6 years. Is it their fault that the timbers are still weak after only a few months of shoring up?
But I'm not really being fair to Fein. Despite his claims that Pelosi is more interested in earmarks and the 2008 elections than her duty as Speaker, his real issue is impeachment. Excellent! It's time for me to shout Amen! again! For I, too, believe that impeachment should be back on the table, for the good of this nation - even if it eventually fails in the Senate. Agreement at last!
Well.....not exactly.
Let me just pick myself up off the floor for a second. Did he say Steny Hoyer? The guy who runs his own Democratic version of the K-Street Project is less interested in earmarks than Nancy Pelosi? And he believes somehow that Steny Hoyer is going to start impeachment proceedings immediately? Perhaps he's referring to this article, which, I hasten to add, begins "Another source says this is fiction, but...."
Wow. I guess that's what I get for agreeing with a conservative....
Yet motivated by partisan concerns over the 2008 elections, the new speaker is following President Bush around like a sheep while he solidifies an imperial presidency and diminishes the Congress into irrelevancy. Just look at the latest ACLU advertisement targeting Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. The only thing Pelosi has retained for the Congress is small-minded earmarks to attract political contributions.Um, WHAT?
What about the 100 hours legislation that the House passed, much of which the Senate signed off on too? (If Bush vetoed it, that certainly redounds to Bush, not the Speaker.) I may be naive, but legislation to help end lobbyist influence in Congress, enact the 9/11 recommendations, legalize and fund stem cell research, cut interest rates for college loans in half, roll back subsidies to Big Oil, and raise the minimum wage seems neither small-minded, nor directed towards gaining earmarks.
As for the FISA legislation, which the majority of Democrats voted against, Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid did not support the Administration's position on FISA, and voted against the passage of the bill. In fact, even though it sunsets in 6 months, Speaker Pelosi wrote John Conyers and Silvestre Reyes right after the law was passed, and stated her intention to revisit the legislation immediately upon Congress' return in September.
I haven't seen much press coverage on that letter, have you?
As for weakening Congress, bear in mind that the Republics have been rolling over for Bush since Day 1 of his Preznitcy. The Democrats inherited very slight control of a house rotting from within for the past 6 years. Is it their fault that the timbers are still weak after only a few months of shoring up?
But I'm not really being fair to Fein. Despite his claims that Pelosi is more interested in earmarks and the 2008 elections than her duty as Speaker, his real issue is impeachment. Excellent! It's time for me to shout Amen! again! For I, too, believe that impeachment should be back on the table, for the good of this nation - even if it eventually fails in the Senate. Agreement at last!
Well.....not exactly.
If Pelosi persists in her imperious, mean-spirited, and myopic thinking in disregard of her oath to support and defend the Constitution, members of the House should replace her with Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md.
Let me just pick myself up off the floor for a second. Did he say Steny Hoyer? The guy who runs his own Democratic version of the K-Street Project is less interested in earmarks than Nancy Pelosi? And he believes somehow that Steny Hoyer is going to start impeachment proceedings immediately? Perhaps he's referring to this article, which, I hasten to add, begins "Another source says this is fiction, but...."
Wow. I guess that's what I get for agreeing with a conservative....
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