Capitol Hill News Open Thread

by: CA Berkeley WV

Thu Feb 11, 2010 at 17:30:22 PM EST

Good afternoon, West Virginia Blue readers. This is your afternoon open thread to discuss all things Hill-related. Use this thread to praise or bash Congresscritters, share a juicy tip, ask questions, offer critiques and suggestions, or post manifestos. We'll be here all weekend.

Some of the Hill news that's fit to blog is over the fold...

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Bill Clinton hospitalized with chest pains.

Clinton, 63, was transported to Columbia Presbyterian Hospital in Manhattan for a condition related to his heart.

ABC News' chief political correspondent George Stephanopoulos reported that sources said he was taken to the hospital "likely for a stent procedure."

Sources on Capital Hill tell ABC News that Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was seen leaving the Oval Office a short time ago and did not seem "too concerned" or "in a rush."

It took about 12 hours for the right to diss Rep. Murtha after his death on twitter so the count down for it to begin against Pres. Clinton is over.

Prayers for the Clinton family.

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As a result of the inclement weather affecting Members' ability to travel to Washington, DC this week, there will be no votes in the House for the remainder of the week.  The change this week means that we will add two days to the schedule as we look to take action on a jobs bill and other critical measures.  Therefore, the House will reconvene on Monday, February 22, one day earlier than previously scheduled.  The House will now also be in session on Friday, February 26th.

They will reconvene on Friday unless the Senate recesses.

The House adjourned pursuant to a previous special order. The next meeting is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. on February 12, 2010, unless it sooner has received a message from the Senate transmitting its adoption of H.Con.Res. 235, in which case the House shall stand adjourned pursuant to that concurrent resolution.

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A  member of Rules Committee, Lincoln Diaz-Balart R-FL-21, will not run again.

Diaz-Balart made the announcement at a Thursday press conference.

He won a special election for Florida's 21st district in 1989 and went virtually unchallenged until last year when fellow Cuban-American and former Hialeah mayor Raul Martinez ran against him

This is also called the Speaker's Committee.

Congressman Diaz-Balart serves as a senior Member of the Rules Committee and as the Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Legislative and Budget Process.

So much for their own confidence in taking back the House.

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Leader Reid is leading on the jobs bill.

Members of the Senate Finance Committee unveiled a long-awaited bipartisan jobs bill Thursday morning - only to have it scrapped within hours by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid.

Reid killed the bill after hearing complaints from members of his own caucus who argued that Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.) had gone too far beyond the core goal of job creation in order to win Republican support.
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Reid said his bill would include four basic provisions: "Build America" bonds, a small business tax program that allows quick expense write-offs, a one-year extension of the highway act, and a bipartisan tax-credit deal struck by Sens. Orin Hatch (R-Utah) and Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.).

Sen. Max Baucus still is not a closer.

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Sen. Kit Bond R-MO does what the GOP told the  Democrat not to do, criticize the President's handling of  national security issues.

Making matters worse, Bond said he's concerned that the administration "is going back to those pre-9/11 policies which won't keep us safe."

It's hard to overstate how blisteringly stupid this is. In the context of the Abdulmutallab case, the Obama administration is handling the matter the same way Bush/Cheney handled similar cases -- after 9/11. I've seen third-rate right-wing bloggers with a better grasp of the basics than Kit Bond.

Here is to hoping others find him incoherent. Sen. Susan Collins R-ME has been just plain fibbing.

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Sen. Harkin D-IA, among others, is highlighting the filibuster and obstruction inherent in the 'new normal' of 60 votes for everything on the floor of the Senate today. Good.