The big difference between the Dems and the GOP

By Libby

The sniping over the late night showdown in the House continues to ricochet around the Beltway. Politics as usual as far as I can see. A lot of complaining so everybody has cover for getting nothing done while they play parliamentary parlor games. Stop me if this sounds familiar.

Republicans accused Democrats of using the kind of heavy-handed tactics that Democrats had assailed when the GOP ran the House. The late-night exchange featured a heated exchange between former Speaker J. Dennis Hastert, R-Ill., and Hoyer.

Thus it has been for decades now. Only the order of the names changes. But this latest Battle of the Bilge illustrates one very big difference between the Democratic Party's control of Congress and the GOP's recent rubberstamping romp.

The House took a step toward easing its latest partisan confrontation by agreeing Friday to create a panel that will investigate a controversial floor vote and make recommendations for changes in voting rules.

The bipartisan six-member select committee will probe Thursday’s contested vote on a Republican motion to send the fiscal 2008 Agriculture spending bill back to committee.

The Republicans would have let their version of the vote stand and would have quashed any investigation in their conduct. In fact, they did quash every investigation. That's why we had to wait six years to find out what they, and their president, were hiding.