Washington in 60 Seconds: Reporter to James Inhofe -- 'You're Ridiculous'
Patricia Murphy
Capitol Hill Bureau Chief
Posted:
12/18/09
Good morning, Capitolists! The Senate has officially gone from herding cats to Christmas chaos, with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid announcing last night that he will hold procedural votes at 7:30 a.m. Saturday, and several times throughout the week, ending with a final vote on health care at 7 p.m. on Christmas Eve.
The only twist, in addition to the glaring fact that Reid does not yet have 60 votes for his Christmas cliffhanger, is that a blizzard is bearing down on the capital region, potentially making tomorrow's vote difficult, if not impossible. Republicans had threatened to use every trick in the book to stop Reid's progress, but who knew they had a connection with the weatherman?
While we go out for snow boots, you catch up on the headlines. Here's what else is making news in Washington today:
* The Dead of Night. The Senate voted in the wee hours Friday morning night on a procedural vote for a Pentagon spending bill. Because Reid had assumed no Republicans would vote for the measure, a very pale Sen. Robert Byrd, 92, was wheeled into the chamber just after 1 a.m. to vote yes. Byrd waved from his wheelchair to his colleagues, who erupted in spontaneous applause for his efforts. In the end, three Republicans voted yes, too.
* Reid Wanted SNOWE, not snow. From Weather.com: Washington, D.C., is under a winter storm warning for Saturday. The forecast for tomorrow calls for a 100 percent chance of heavy snow and high, gusty winds. Eight to 12 inches of snow are expected, as is a Senate vote.
* What's in that ACORN? The Government Accountability Office has told lawmakers that it will investigate ACORN, the scandal-plagued housing advocacy group. According to The Hill, the government watchdogs will examine the highly partisan non-profit's use of federal funds.
* Inhofe Goes to Nopenhagen: Sen. James Inhofe (R-Okla.), famous global warming skeptic, delivered on his promise to go to the global climate summit to tell the word that climate change legislation is dead in the Senate. The only problem: Nobody was listening. Politico reports that the senator had no meetings scheduled during his trip, so his staff rustled up some reporters for him to talk to. After delivering his message, one German reporter said to Inhofe, "You're ridiculous."
* The Washington Post Wants YOU, and So Does the Capitolist. The paper that brought your Woodward and Bernstein wants you to drop a dime on any members of Congress, the administration or other high-ranking officials you see behaving badly. After getting scooped by gossip scribe Anne Schroeder Mullins of Politico on the Chuck Schumer "B-Word" fiasco, Al Kamen at the Post says you can e-mail him at looponthego@washpost.com to air your own congressman's dirty laundry. We're card-carrying members of the Kamen fan club, but of course you know you should really e-mail the Capitolist by clicking the link to the right. Sunlight is the best disinfectant, people!
The only twist, in addition to the glaring fact that Reid does not yet have 60 votes for his Christmas cliffhanger, is that a blizzard is bearing down on the capital region, potentially making tomorrow's vote difficult, if not impossible. Republicans had threatened to use every trick in the book to stop Reid's progress, but who knew they had a connection with the weatherman?
While we go out for snow boots, you catch up on the headlines. Here's what else is making news in Washington today:
* The Dead of Night. The Senate voted in the wee hours Friday morning night on a procedural vote for a Pentagon spending bill. Because Reid had assumed no Republicans would vote for the measure, a very pale Sen. Robert Byrd, 92, was wheeled into the chamber just after 1 a.m. to vote yes. Byrd waved from his wheelchair to his colleagues, who erupted in spontaneous applause for his efforts. In the end, three Republicans voted yes, too.
* Reid Wanted SNOWE, not snow. From Weather.com: Washington, D.C., is under a winter storm warning for Saturday. The forecast for tomorrow calls for a 100 percent chance of heavy snow and high, gusty winds. Eight to 12 inches of snow are expected, as is a Senate vote.
* What's in that ACORN? The Government Accountability Office has told lawmakers that it will investigate ACORN, the scandal-plagued housing advocacy group. According to The Hill, the government watchdogs will examine the highly partisan non-profit's use of federal funds.
* Inhofe Goes to Nopenhagen: Sen. James Inhofe (R-Okla.), famous global warming skeptic, delivered on his promise to go to the global climate summit to tell the word that climate change legislation is dead in the Senate. The only problem: Nobody was listening. Politico reports that the senator had no meetings scheduled during his trip, so his staff rustled up some reporters for him to talk to. After delivering his message, one German reporter said to Inhofe, "You're ridiculous."
* The Washington Post Wants YOU, and So Does the Capitolist. The paper that brought your Woodward and Bernstein wants you to drop a dime on any members of Congress, the administration or other high-ranking officials you see behaving badly. After getting scooped by gossip scribe Anne Schroeder Mullins of Politico on the Chuck Schumer "B-Word" fiasco, Al Kamen at the Post says you can e-mail him at looponthego@washpost.com to air your own congressman's dirty laundry. We're card-carrying members of the Kamen fan club, but of course you know you should really e-mail the Capitolist by clicking the link to the right. Sunlight is the best disinfectant, people!