This is how civil wars start

[khaosworks]

Police called to House hearing in congressional spat
By MARILYN GEEWAX
Atlanta Journal-Constitution Staff Writer

WASHINGTON -- What should have been a routine House Ways and Means Committee vote Friday on a bipartisan pension reform bill turned into a meltdown involving the Capitol police, a near-physical confrontation and accusations of abuse of power.

Outraged Democrats, believing that Committee Chairman Bill Thomas, R-Calif., had threatened to have them arrested, at one point turned for guidance to committee member John Lewis, a Georgia Democrat who was arrested many times in the civil rights protests of the early 1960s.

"In another period, people would use the threat of arrest, accuse people of being disorderly, and that's what Chairman Thomas did," Lewis told his colleagues. "You haven't violated any laws, any rules. Just hold your heads high and keep the faith."

In the end, police left without making arrests. But the incident further soured the partisan feelings in the closely divided House, whose Republican leaders frequently have taken advantage of the rules to force through legislation.

The war of words continued throughout the afternoon on the House floor, where Democrats demanded passage of a resolution disapproving of the committee's actions and nullifying its approval of the pension bill.

Republicans defended Thomas, saying he had no choice but to call in police to head off physical attacks they said appeared imminent from Rep. Fortney "Pete" Stark, a 71-year-old Democrat from California.

They said Stark had threatened Rep. Scott McInnis, a 50-year-old Colorado Republican calling him "you little wimp" and "you little fruitcake."

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., insisted that the police had already been called before the confrontation involving Stark and said Republicans were "in denial about their behavior."

In the end, the House voted 170-143 along party lines to reject the Democrats' resolution.

I really wish I could have a video tape of the entire incident to watch and laugh over during the cold and lonely winter months to come. For the first time the Dems had the balls to accused the Republicans of running a police state, and even in the heat of the moment, these are welcome words to hear.

A pity the days of being beaten senseless by a cane on the floor of the Senate are over. Or are they?