Now it’s really getting tough to serve in Congress.

The Hill newspaper reports:

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) is renewing his threat to hold the Senate in session this weekend to help finish a laundry list of legislation before Congress takes a month off in August ahead of the 2008 elections.

“We’ll be here this weekend,” Reid said Monday afternoon. “There’s a lot to do.”

Exactly my thoughts every weekend when there are gutters to clean, bills to pay, laundry to do, and home repairs to screw up.

Move the children out of the room as we visit Rep. Charlie Rangel’s (D-NY) press conference yesterday:

Rangel: “So one of the things that I would use, hoping that it might catch on, is that I’m going to see how much damn ink The Washington Post has.”

and

Rangel: “I don’t think Trump has a foundation, but he hasn’t given a damn nickel toward CCNY.”

and

Rangel: “General Electric wasn’t — that had nothing to do with CCNY. And I didn’t send them any letter, but I damned sure leaned on them to help us out in the city of New York as they have throughout the country.”

and

Reporter: “Are you — so can we infer — would it be safe for us to infer that you are not planning to change the way you go about raising money for the Rangel Center? You’ll continue to use congressional stationery in…”
Rangel: “God damn, I think — I really think — I think you’re being annoying now because you cannot be creative.”

and

Question: “Sir, are you going to ask for more earmarks as well for this project?”
Rangel: “Well, yes, damn it. The earmarks won’t go through, because we can’t get it through now.”

and

Rangel:  “I really wish I felt so independent I could say it’s nobody’s damn business where I live, as long as I’m paying the legal rent.”

Damn he’s good.

Great quote by Sen. Jim Bunning (R-KY):

Some lawmakers expressed doubts yesterday about the wisdom of the federal government’s plan to prop up mortgage finance giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, with one Republican senator complaining it was tantamount to writing a “blank check” to save the troubled companies.
…

The often-outspoken Sen. Jim Bunning (R-Ky.) railed against the plan during a hearing before the Senate Banking Committee. “When I picked up my newspaper yesterday, I thought I woke up in France. But, no, it turned out it was socialism here in the United States and very — going well,” he said, raising his voice.

Another poll, more bad news for President Bush.

The new Washington Post-ABC News poll:

Do you approve or disapprove of the way George W. Bush is handling his job as president?

7/13/08: Approve 28%, Disapprove 69%

So what’s worse than working in the White House these days?  How about working in Congress.

Check out these numbers from the same poll:

Do you approve or disapprove of the way the U.S. Congress is doing its job?

7/13/08: Approve 23%, Disapprove 71%

Ouch!  Worse than Bush.  That’s tough to do.  It gets even, well, worser when you consider the two trend lines.

Bush has basically flatlined — at the bottom

In the February 1 poll he was at 33% approve and 65% disapprove.

Congress, however, was at 33% approve and 59% disapprove, now 71%.

Both are dropping — but Congress seems to be plummeting.

Today’s Yeas & Nays in the DC Examiner:

If Nancy Pelosi’s mother had had anything to say about it, her daughter wouldn’t have become speaker of the House — she’d have been a nun.

“She wanted to protect me from the world, with all its potential heartaches and disappointments,” writes Pelosi in her new memoir, “Know Your Power,” which hits bookstores later this month. “And in her mind, the answer to this dilemma was simple: I should become a nun. … In time, Mommy got used to the idea that I was not going to become a nun.”

Hard habit to break.

Poor Michael Silence.  Our favorite blogger — indeed, our perennial choice to win the Pulitzer Prize for Community-Serving Blogging — seems to have lost command of his considerable senses.  Today he praises — egads! — Heath Shuler.

Michael uses this article …

In surprisingly blunt language, U.S. Rep. Heath Shuler complained this week of “a lack of maturity” in the U.S. House.

The North Carolina Democrat accused some of his fellow lawmakers of thinking they’re “Hollywood stars” and said many of them spend more time playing politics than doing what’s best for the country.

“It’s quite embarrassing,” he said. “I mean, I wish all constituents could sit sometimes in the gallery and just see what goes on on the House floor.”

… to make this observation (as conveyed by Instapundit):

Now this is some talk I can get behind. Shuler ought to team up with U.S. Sen. Bob Corker, R-TN, to bring some sense to both chambers. Isn’t it refreshing when members break ranks. I call that a sanity break.

The problem is, Heath Shuler is the last person who should call others embarrassing.

Consider Shuler’s track record with the word:

• The April 18, 1997 Washington Times:   Shuler threw five interceptions in an embarrassing home loss to Arizona.”
• The August 30, 1995 Virginian-Pilot: Shuler’s 11-of-32, five-interception performance against the Arizona Cardinals at RFK Stadium. That was a 19-16 overtime loss in which 46 of Shuler’s 158 passing yards came on a first-quarter toss to Brian Mitchell. Thirty-one other throws gained an embarrassing 102 yards and earned Shuler a three-week seat on the bench, officially with a sprained ankle.
• October 5, 1994 Philadelphia Daily News: “Redskins are 1-4 and are coming off an embarrassing, 34-7 homefield loss to Dallas in which high-priced rookie quarterback Heath Shuler appeared clueless.”
• September 5, 1994 Washington Post: “One of the more embarrassing plays was the first play of Shuler’s second drive in the second quarter. Left guard Ray Brown and left tackle Jim Lachey pulled, but Seahawks defensive tackle Cortez Kennedy knocked Lachey into Shuler before he could start the play.”

Our dear friend Michael Silence may praise Shuler for crossing lines.  But to folks familiar with Shuler’s history with the Redskins, it’s more like just another interception.

If Rep. Tom Davis (R-VA) is quoted in a story talking about Republicans, chances are the word “brand” isn’t far behind.  Today’s paper is no exception:

Davis, who is leaving Congress after this year, said McCain has the advantage of being a well-defined brand in the minds of many voters. And he said there is plenty of time left to burnish it.

We’ve railed many times in the past about Congress’ excessive meddling in and showboating about sports.

Time to rail again, but this time there’s a twist — it literally is on the rail, like a horserace going down to the wire.

Let no more politician complain that the media covers politics like a horse race.  Not after Thursday’s hearing before the House Energy & Commerce Committee’s Commerce, Trade, and Consumer Protection Subcommittee.  The title: “Breeding, Drugs, and Breakdowns: The State of Thoroughbred Horseracing and the Welfare of the Thoroughbred Racehorse.”

Breeding, drugs, and breakdowns?  Sounds like an Amy Winehouse song.

Consider NPR’s description of the hearing:

Congress begins another hearing on athletics and doping. This one has nothing to do with Barry Bonds or Marion Jones. Steroids are sometimes legal in thoroughbred horseracing and that is something Congress wants to focus on. The House Subcommittee on Commerce, Trade and Consumer Protection holds a hearing today to address questions coming up after the stunning collapse of Triple Crown favorite, Big Brown, two other high-profile horse deaths, the Kentucky Derby runner-up, Eight Belles, and of course, Barbaro.

Questions?  Heck,  I’ve had questions at the track, too, like, “HOW COULD I HAVE BET ON THAT HORSE!?”  Too bad Congress offered no betting tips.

But they did hear this testimony provided by Randy Moss, a horse racing analyst and reporter for ESPN and ABC Sports:

“… thoroughbred racing occupies a unique position in sports - combining tradition, excitement, pageantry, the majesty of one of the world’s most beautiful creatures, and, of course, gambling.”

You might argue that gambling on thoroughbred racing hardly makes it unique in sports anymore.  But putting the poor horses in front of publicity hungry members of Congress?  That’s surely special status.  Hopefully dog racing will be spared a similar investigation.  Although, if you ask me, it sure looked like the participants in the last Westminster Kennel Club show were popping off Quaaludes.

A C-SPAN announcement:

C-SPAN’s live coverage of tomorrow’s House Judiciary Committee hearing with Fmr. White House Press Secretary, Scott McClellan, has been change to 9:30 AM (ET).  You can see live coverage of the hearing on C-SPAN 3 or via the web at: www.c-span.org.  The hearing can also be heard live on C-SPAN radio (90.1 FM).  Pending the Senate Floor schedule, hearing may be moved to C-SPAN 2 if the Senate has finished business for the week.

Interesting item in today’s Washington Post:

Democratic leaders worried about the impeachment obsession of Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio) ain’t seen nothing yet.

Kucinich tells us he’s giving the House Judiciary Committee 30 days to act on his resolution proposing 35 articles of impeachment against President Bush before he raises even more hell on the House floor. This time, he says, he’ll go back with perhaps 60 articles of impeachment.

Well, if he’s looking for an article, does this count?  It is, after all, from a major news outlet.