With Bob Barr and Cynthia McKinney hitting the road, among others, is DC getting dull? Well, I can think of more apt criteria to judge our Congresspersons, but they probably wouldn’t do any better in those categories either.
Category: Congress
Talkin’ the Talk.
“The era of low standards and false profits is over…No boardroom in America is above or beyond the law.”. And with that, Bush signs the corporate reform bill. He then leaned into the microphone, made the Dubya face, and declared, “You can run but you can’t hide, Dick Cheney. We’re going to hunt you down like the agent of evil you are. You hear me talkin’, Halliburton boy?“
There He Goes Again.
As GOP polls predict considerable electoral fallout from Enrongate, Dubya plans to regain the political initiative during the August congressional recess. Uh-oh.
Rescue attempts.
While Fed Chairman Alan Greenspan tries to assuage the market (something Dubya is seemingly incapable of), the Senate and House pass measures to stifle corporate malfeasance (and the stock market free-fall), thanks to a Republican “deathbed conversion.”
What it Might Mean.
Congressional Quarterly analyzes the possible impact of McCain-Feingold.
Do as I Say, Not as I Do.
Dubya calls for the end of a corporate loophole he himself profited from back in his Harken days. Meanwhile, this being an election year (and since I’m sure their profiles aren’t doing so hot right now), the Senate voted unanimously on several measures to curtail corporate malfeasance, a number of which go further than Dubya desired.
One Nation and Countless Careerists, Under God.
“Oh my name it is nothin’, my age it means less
The country I come from is called the Midwest
I’s taught and brought up there the laws to abide
And that land that I live in has God on its side.”
Bob Dylan, “With God on Our Side”
A Federal Court declares the Pledge of Allegiance unconstitutional, and all Hell breaks loose, with editorialists, Senators, and even our Fearless Leader lining up to decry the decision. (For their part, the House scurried out onto the steps of the Capitol to recite the Pledge en masse.) I dunno. I know I’m not the mean in these particular instances, but as a kid forced to recite the Pledge every morning in elementary school, I always found the name-dropping of God a bit strange and superfluous. I guess the lesson here, folks, is don’t vote against God in an election year. Speaking of which, the GOP are latching on to the decision as a centerpiece to their fall campaigns. Hmmm…corporate malfeasance still seems a higher priority to me than this judicial slighting of our national deity. Somehow, I think He can handle it. (But, just in case, the Supreme Court today ensured that everyone’s tax money can be used to pay Him tribute.)
Death and taxes.
In related news, Daschle opens debate on the estate tax. Sounds like the plan is to raise the exemption so high that the GOP are forced to admit they’re backing the repeal solely for the benefit of their multimillionaire masters. Smart play, particularly in an election year.
The Washington Ten.
Speaking of which, if you can’t beat ’em, blacklist ’em. The GOP attempts to filter out Democrats from the lobbyist pool.
You can take it with you.
The Republican House, with the aid of 40 Dem defectors, vote to kill the estate tax. So where’s the money for Dubya’s new homeland security initiatives going to come from…or anything else, for that matter?