Bill Frist, cat-killer. (Via Triptych Cryptic.) Just when you think a reasonably normal Republican has come to power in the Senate, you read about freak show stuff like this. Bizarre.
Category: The Senate
Ailing Body Politic.
As the GOP Senate flexes its newfound muscle and slashes a number of domestic programs, President Clinton emerges to assail Dubya’s health policies. Keep it up, Republicans, and watch Dubya’s numbers founder.
Happy Days are Here Again!
After eight years of (theoretical) belt-tightening, Congress guts its own gift ban, allowing congressional and corporate fatcats to frolic anew at golf courses and Wizards games all over DC. I mean, what’s the point of being a Congressperson if you can’t get all kinds of free schwag?
The Terminator.
Should the Dems cultivate their own Jesse Helms? Hopefully, we can do better than that.
Majority Report.
While GOP freak show Tom DeLay consolidates his hold over the House, Republican senators take Dubya to task for not keeping them in the loop.
Don’t call it a comeback.
They’ve been here for years. Nevertheless, the 108th Congress returns, with the GOP controlling all branches of government for the first time since the Jeffords defection. How much damage can they do in one term? I guess we’re going to find out.
Byrd-Hunting.
Drudge is trying his damnedest today to get a Lott-size stink brewing around Robert Byrd for his Confederate cameo in Gods and Generals. As I mentioned a few months ago, I do think this is a bit strange, but hardly in the league of Lott openly advocating segregation in his capacity as majority leader.
The Doctor is In.
With a little push out the door from George Allen, Lott goes down, to be replaced by Bill Frist of Tennessee. Smart move by the GOP, even if their Contract on America is temporarily hampered…Frist is a much more congenial and Daschle-esque character than Lott, and it’ll be harder for the Dems to paint him as a right-wing ideologue. (Fortunately, there’s always Tom DeLay.)
Mississippi Burning.
On the other side of the aisle, the GOP starts thinking harder about dumping their own embarrassing baggage, despite Trent Lott’s BET plea. If only Lott had taken a page from his idol and merely pretended to be remorseful from the get-go. Update: With Dubya on the sidelines, pundits are putting it in the fridge: Lott will be removed from the Senate leadership. Who will replace him is still up in the air.
A Lott of Trouble.
With some lexis-nexis searches establishing a dubious pattern in Trent Lott’s rhetoric, even Dubya’s piling on now. For his part, Lott’s decided to try the contrition route to see if he can save his seniority. I’d say at this point it’s probably better for the Dems to have him around, just as an ever-present reminder of exactly who the GOP likes to cater to.