Did Democrats Allow Attacks Against the Capitol?

The Washington Times comments on the attack on the U.S. Capitol:

Historically, the speaker of the House is a close collaborator with the Capitol Police on security matters. The speaker and aides play a substantial role that includes both real-time decision-making in response to incidents at the Capitol, as well as the drafting of security procedures and policies...

In the best-case scenario here, Mrs. Pelosi now has in hand a great example of how not to handle out-of-control protesters...

Things are not always so simple in the party of Cynthia McKinney, however, which has a history of friction with the Capitol Police and a less-than-ideal record on policing and crime...

We don't know who gave the order to let the vandals approach the Capitol, although it was reportedly issued by Capitol Police Chief Phillip Morse and his deputy. But if this policy comes from the Democratic leadership, it would be quite a shabby thing...

Indeed.

Will Politicians Go After "Big Corn"?

OpinionJournal has a fairly detailed review of the federal government's support of ethanol and its effects on other areas of the economy, concluding:

So here comes Big Corn. Make that Very, Very Big Corn. Sooner or later, our experience with this huge public gamble may make us yearn for the efficiency, capacity, lower cost and--yes--superior environmental record of "Big Oil."

Meanwhile, Mexico is experiencing what the Macaca Post calls "the worst tortilla crisis in its modern history" as a result of increased demand for corn.

Big Corn should be safe in the U.S. -- at least as long as Iowa is an early voting state.

Hippie Vandals Allowed to Attack Capitol

The Hill reports:

Anti-war protesters were allowed to spray paint on part of the west front steps of the United States Capitol building after police wereordered to break their security line by their leadership, two sources told The Hill.

According to the sources, police officers were livid when theywere told to fall back by U.S. Capitol Police (USCP) Chief Phillip Morse and Deputy Chief Daniel Nichols. "They were the commanders on the scene," one source said, who requested anonymity. " It was disgusting."

Can I Vote in the House of Representatives Too?

George Will has a good article on the Democrat scheme to let non-Representatives vote in the House of Representatives:

What part of the words "several states" do House Democrats not understand? Their cynical assumption is that "the people of the several states" will not notice this dilution of their representation in the House.

Members of Congress today represent, on average, 687,000 people. The population of Guam is 171,000; of American Samoa, 58,000; and of the Virgin Islands, 109,000. The 3.9 million Puerto Ricans are U.S. citizens and have the right to vote for statehood, which they have rejected in three plebiscites (1967, 1993, 1998).

...

January 1993 was the last time Democrats engaged in this cynical political alchemy, transmuting delegates from four island jurisdictions, and one from the seat of the federal government, into the functional equivalents of representatives selected by people of "the several states." In January 1993, two months after they lost 10 House seats, they counterfeited half that many votes -- even though they had an 82-seat majority. One year later, such arrogance contributed to the Democrats' loss of their House majority.

...

For Speaker Pelosi, two questions about the possible scope of your majoritarian abuse: Given your disregard of the unambiguous language and clear intent of Article I, Section 2 -- which uses the word "state" eight times to designate the only entity from which a member of the House may be chosen -- do you acknowledge any impediment to using your majority to give "Committee of the Whole" voting power to a delegate from, say, the AFL-CIO?

Or, for that matter: Do you think that Article I, Section 5 ("Each house shall be the judge of the ... qualifications of its own members") allows your majority to give such voting powers to your hairdresser? If not, why not?

The full article has more details and history.

Who's the Leader?

From Pollster.com, referring to potential 2008 presidential candidates:

On the Republican side, former Mayor Giuliani continues to lead the field, despite more press reporting that puts Sen. McCain in the front runner spot. McCain's stronger organization and more serious start are no doubt part of the press' view that McCain is the stronger contender. But so far the public hasn't gone along with that.

With that kind of reasoning coming from the media, we should all be surprised that they don't report on the activities of President Kerry (#2 is close enough!).

There's also an interesting note about some polls including "former Tennessee Sen. Fred Thompson" (also known for his role on Law & Order). At the very least, Thompson is one name that seems to go well with Giuliani...

Democrats: "Freshmen" No Longer Politically Correct

From the Hotline:

...it is no longer politically correct in the House Dem caucus to refer to the newly elected members from '06 as "Freshmen." ... House Maj. Whip Jim Clyburn referred to the "freshmen" and then corrected himself and then went on to admit the new policy... House Maj. Whip Jim Clyburn referred to the "freshmen" and then corrected himself and then went on to admit the new policy... [it is] "suspected" it had something to do with the word "new" being more appealing to the public than "freshman," which can be seen by some as derogatory.

If they keep it among themselves, it is much better for Democrats to waste time trying to out-PC each other than to be legislating.

Five Non-Congressmen Given Votes in Congress

The Washington Times reports:

House lawmakers yesterday passed a resolution allowing D.C. Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton and territorial delegates to vote on legislative amendments, despite opposition from Republicans who called the rule change an unconstitutional power grab by the Democratic majority.

"Who's next? Howard Dean?" Rep. Tom Price, Georgia Republican, asked on the House floor yesterday, referring to the chairman of the Democratic National Committee and former governor of Vermont. "He has a significant constituency. Why not let Howard Dean have a seat in the House of Representatives and a vote in the Committee of the Whole?"

The mostly symbolic resolution, which passed 226-191, will allow Mrs. Norton and other Democratic delegates from American Samoa, Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands -- as well as the Republican resident commissioner of Puerto Rico -- to vote on amendments to legislation in the House Committee of the Whole, but not on a bill's final passage.

However, lawmakers would take a new vote without the delegates' ballots if they cast the deciding votes.

...

House Republicans also have accused Democrats of simply wanting to pad their vote totals with the resolution.

During the debate yesterday, they called the measure "a remarkable abuse of power" and "representation without taxation"...

Citizens in the territories, excluding the District, do not pay federal income taxes.

Republicans rightly abolished the rule in 1995 after a federal judge ruled that the voting procedure rendered the votes of non-Congressmen "meaningless".