Tuesday, July 22, 2003

Our fruitcake Republicans

You remember the fruitcake episode from last Friday (back)—

The one where Republicans say1 they called the cops on a 71-year-old Democrat—right on Capital Hill—because he called one of them a "fruitcake"? And they felt they were in imminent danger?

Maybe there'll be some fallout. Janet Hook and Richard Simon of the LA Times write:

The flap spilled onto the House floor when Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco) offered a measure to reproach [Republican Ways and Means Chair Bill] Thomas and invalidate the committee approval of the pension bill [during which the episode occurred]. Her measure was rejected on a party-line vote.

House Democrats, meeting behind closed doors Monday, considered calling for an investigation. And Pelosi promised "disruptive" tactics to tie up the House all week.

"This will be a week from hell for the Republicans," Pelosi said.

Those boots are made for walkin', Nancy...

NOTE: 1 "Say" because this pathetic story is actually a cover story for the far worse procedural violations that were the real cause of the flare-up. That's what Pelosi's measure would have condemned.

UPDATE: I just added two more alert readers to the Fruitcake Rebellion Roll of Honor (back).

And besides. They are fruitcakes.