Just when Washingtonians thought it was safe to go on vacation during the usually sleepy month of August, Republicans in the House of Representatives have gotten other ideas.
A group of about 20 conservative congressmen blockaded the deserted House floor on Friday to protest Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi's refusal to call a vote on expanding offshore oil drilling along the US coastline. Never mind that every available estimate shows new drilling taking years to truly affect gas prices -- these erstwhile Friends of Bush want to stop keeping the oil companies down!
And they're back today for more "rebellion", those wacky Republicans, with the leaders using Twitter to update fans and the media on the protest (which now has a cheeky name: the Texas Tea Party). The whole spectacle raises two questions: How frustrated is Pelosi that Barack Obama picked this week to relax his opposition to offshore drilling? And how many spouses of these ornery Republicans are actually wishing they'd return home from Washington?
