Pelosi advocates pre-emptive war . . . against the agenda of Bush and his republican enablers

[bigtree]

Pelosi readying a pre-emptive House agenda
She's not going to let State of the Union overshadow the state of the nation

Chronicle Washington Bureau
Wednesday, November 22, 2006


(11-22) 04:00 PST Washington -- House Speaker-to-be Nancy Pelosi made clear Tuesday she's not willing to cede the public spotlight to President Bush in the weeks before his State of the Union speech.

Pelosi plans to start the 110th Congress with a bang on Jan. 4 -- when the House holds its ceremonial swearing in and elects her as speaker -- by immediately setting off on a sprint of several weeks to enact the Democrats' ambitious 100-hour agenda.

Lawmakers usually return home between the swearing-in ceremony and the president's speech, but analysts say the hurried schedule gives Democrats a chance to show instant results. It could also put Bush on the defensive, forcing him to sign or veto a host of popular initiatives.

Tactically, the move has several advantages: January is usually a slow news month that the president dominates by leaking tidbits from his State of the Union speech and his proposed budget a few days later. Instead of waiting for Bush's agenda, Democrats could have a half-dozen bills waiting for his signature or veto by the time he makes his primetime speech.

Pelosi's promised "100-hour" agenda probably will stretch out over at least two to three weeks, and some initiatives may take longer. The agenda is almost a reverse image of former Republican House Speaker Newt Gingrich's "Contract with America," which he maneuvered through Congress in early 1995 after Democrats were ousted from power, also following a series of ethical lapses.

The media's focus on Democrats' first weeks in power also will give Pelosi a chance to provide high-profile roles to her old allies and newly elected Democratic members. For example, Rep. George Miller of Martinez, the likely chairman of the House Education and Workforce Committee, is expected to take the lead on a proposal to cut interest rates on student loans. Newly elected Rep. Zack Space of Ohio, who won the open seat vacated by disgraced Republican Rep. Bob Ney after Ney's indictment in the Abramoff influence-peddling scandal, could be handed a prime role in introducing one of the ethics measures.


article: http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2006/11/22/MNGJAMHNT61.DTL



http://journals.democraticunderground.com/bigtree

[Greeby]

1. Phew, you were worrying me there for a minute nt

[Cooley Hurd]

2. I've heard that they might even set up cots in the Capitol...

...and spend the night there during the 100 hr sprint.:thumbsup:

[madokie]

3. That would be cool

I do truly think the Democratic Majority is serious this time

[Toots]

4. Now this is the way the most deliberative body on earth should work....

:crazy: