Goofy Things Said in Senate's Final Days

[Bob Geiger]

I was actually at the Capitol late last week and, ironically, being just steps from the Senate floor, I missed much of what was said in the final days of the 109th Congress and am just now catching up… Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-TN) -- head of the do-nothing Republican Senate -- took to the chamber's floor on Thursday to tick off a list of nine legislative accomplishments made by the GOP in the last Congress. Here are some of Frist's proudest moments:

"We passed legislation securing the right to prayer in U.S. military academies.

"We passed legislation protecting the Mount Soledad Memorial Cross.

"We passed the Broadcast Decency Enforcement Act, which allows for the 10- fold increase of FCC fines for indecency violations.

"We passed Cord blood legislation that harnesses the power of stem cells in cord blood to develop new cures for life-threatening diseases.

"We passed the Fetus Farming Prohibition Act, which prohibits the gestation of fetal tissue in order to use it for research.

"We passed the Stem Cell Research Alternatives bill, which provides federal funding for a variety of stem cell research that do not involve destroying human embryos."

They didn't do squat about little things like jobs, health care, the environment or performing even a shred of oversight on the executive branch of government -- but, by God, they saved a cross, cracked down on those ten-thousand-acre fetus farms springing up all over Kansas and made sure TV stations will pay through the nose if we ever see Janet Jackson's nipple again.

Heck of a job, Fristie. Enjoy your retirement in the Republican, Wedge-Issue Hall of Fame.

Then we had the ever-goofy, Rick Santorum (R-PA) who, when talking about the Iraq quagmire in his final days as a U.S. Senator, blamed the media for reporting the news on the war...

"Let’s look at other interested parties as we look at how we solve the problem in Iraq and dealing with Iran. The American media seems to be very focused and spends a lot of time talking about how poorly things are going in Iraq," said Santorum. "They report daily — not just recently but repeatedly for the past 3 years, daily — the body count in Iraq. It is the lead and has been virtually every single day for 3 years."

Go here to have a look at the take on Silly Santorum from Jon Stewart at The Daily Show.

Santorum didn't have much to say about the Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) he claimed to magically uncover in Iraq over the summer, while trying to shore up support for the war... It must have been that the "WMD" were shell casings that were buried at least back in the first Gulf War, followed by the fact that the Defense Department, the CIA and the White House all said the casings were not relevant to the current conflict.

Ouch.

It's nice that I don’t have to be as magnanimous in parting as Frist and Santorum's colleagues on the Democratic side of the Senate aisle were…

I say good riddance to you both -- and take DeWine, Burns, Talent and Macaca Allen with you on the way out.

You can read more from Bob at BobGeiger.com.

[rodeodance]

1. bye bye to a smelly rat!

[havocmom]

2. They didn't do Job One or Two either:

No oversight of executive branch and...

Where's the BUDGET?

[hijinx87]

6. bingo.

they pushed the tough issues off on the next congress.

this probably indicates the level of hostility and obstruction
that the democratic leadership will be facing next year.

[BeFree]

3. They really are goners, eh?

Hard to believe. We've put up with their crap for so long now, it almost seems normal. But we know better, we remember the history of a democratic congress and the progress that was made.

The country will no longer be stuck in mud-publicanisms and once we get impeachment inflated we will be on a roll.

I can hardly wait!

[KKKarl is an idiot]

4. Don't forget that

important right to pray in US military academies. That was a big one. I did not know that their right to private pray was infringed :sarcasm:

Jesus speaks about praying in private in the Bible. He told a story about a Pharisee who made a public spectacle of his prayer. Then he said when you pray you need to go into a closet where God alone can see you pray.

The neocon spin on the Christian religion is all a show of how religious they can be so that they can further their goals of lining their pockets with more loot.

[Double T]

5. Accomplishments like THOSE of the 109th congress ONLY proves........

that the UPCOMING CHANGE is a REALLY GOOD THING!!!!!!!! Can't wait for restoration of SOME SANITY to government!!!!

[calimary]

7. No kidding! I am SO glad, SO grateful that they are GONE!!!

Yes, hopefully some sanity can return there. Looks like, after six long miserable agonizing years, the adults really ARE back in charge, come January. FINALLY!!!

But it's still up to US to hold their feet to the fire, and make sure they do what we sent them there to do, AND WHAT WE HANDED THEM THE MAJORITIES TO ENABLE THEM TO DO. We can't slack off now, just because we're back in from the wilderness.

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

8. Ok, so now it's up to the next Congress ..

... to end the war, pass a budget, and restore Janet Jackson's nipple to the small screen.

er, wait ... that was a pasty.

Regards.