Borat!
2007-01-05 01:20:51 UTC
Borat! The Mouse Roared:
From Mercury News
Posted on Thu, Jan. 04, 2007
http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/politics/16384928.htm
Some light moments emerge as Democrats take over Congress
By William Douglas
Posted on Thu, Jan. 04, 2007
McClatchy Newspapers
(MCT)
WASHINGTON -
At age 89, Sen. Robert Byrd's gait may have been slowed, but his
enthusiasm was positively boyish when he was sworn in Thursday as the
Senate's president pro tempore, the official who presides over the
Senate in the vice president's absence and is third in line for the
presidency.
"Yeah, man! Yeah, man! Hallelujah, hallelujah!" Byrd, D-W.Va., shouted
repeatedly after being sworn in by Vice President Dick Cheney, who is
president of the Senate.
Byrd's celebration was one of many quirky sights and sounds on Capitol
Hill Thursday as the 110th Congress opened for business with Democrats
at the helm of both the House of Representatives and the Senate for
the first time in 12 years.
---
Former President Clinton surprised journalists by strolling through
the Senate Press Gallery surrounded by a security detail.
Together they visited the gallery's men's room.
Clinton brushed off reporters' questions as he departed for the
visitors' gallery, where he and his daughter Chelsea watched Hillary
Rodham Clinton get sworn in for her second term as the junior senator
from New York.
Will she run for president?
"Ask her," her husband replied.
The visitors' gallery also featured a dash of Hollywood with actor
Richard Gere and singer Tony Bennett sitting in the tight row of seats
alongside the rest of the well-wishers.
---
Like Byrd, Rep. James Clyburn, D-S.C., was giddy over his new position
as House Democratic whip, the third-ranking leader.
"Let's go to church, let's go to church!" crowed a beaming Clyburn as
he left the Capitol for a pre-swearing-in religious service.
Later Clyburn attended a ceremony in his ornate office where he was
given an actual whip by former Rep. William Gray, D-Pa., who in 1989
had become the first African-American House majority whip. Clyburn's
the second.
Rep. Roy Blunt, R-Mo., the outgoing House majority whip, attended the
ceremony.
He recalled that every now and then students would look at the whip in
his office and timidly ask:
"You actually get to whip the members?"
Upon receiving the whip from Gray, Clyburn quipped, "I'll start with
my wife, who I believe is somewhere in this room."
---
Rep. Keith Ellison, D-Minn., made history Thursday by becoming the
first Muslim member of Congress.
He touched off a mini-controversy last month by announcing his
intention to be sworn in with his hand on the Quran.
Rep. Virgil H. Goode Jr., R-Va., led the outcry, warning that more
Muslims will swamp American culture unless there's stiff immigration
reform.
Ellison is an African-American, not an immigrant.
Thursday Ellison silenced many critics by using a Quran once owned by
Thomas Jefferson.
Then Ellison walked over and introduced himself to Goode, whose
district includes Jefferson's home of Monticello.
Ellison invited him to share a cup of coffee, and Goode accepted.
"I don't anticipate we're going to have any problems," Ellison said
later.
"We're not going to hold any grudges."
---
For the first time in 12 years, Democrats knew they'd win the House
speaker's election.
As the voice vote progressed, many seemed to be competing to see who
could most grandiosely announce their vote for California Rep. Nancy
Pelosi.
"On behalf of my three daughters, Nancy Pelosi," said Rep. Chaka
Fattah of Pennsylvania.
"The first woman, a daughter of Italy, Pelosi," said Rep. Rosa DeLauro
of Connecticut.
"In the name of Harriet Tubman, Sojourner Truth and Rosa Parks, and in
the name of Jesus, Nancy Pelosi," intoned Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. of
Illinois.
"For the empowerment of all women in the world, and individually
because you really deserve it, Nancy Pelosi," said Rep. Linda Sanchez
of California.
At one point, a voice from the Republican side grumbled near a
microphone, "All right, all right."
---
On the Senate floor, some familiar faces from the past escorted new
members to be sworn in.
Two former Republican Senate majority leaders from Tennessee - Howard
Baker and Bill Frist - escorted freshman Tennessee Republican Sen. Bob
Corker.
Former Democratic Sens. Max Cleland of Georgia, John Glenn of Ohio,
John Breaux of Louisiana, and Chuck Robb of Virginia, walked around
the Senate chamber slapping backs and sharing memories.
Robb may have felt a sense of sweet revenge.
He accompanied Virginia's new Democratic senator, James Webb, who won
his seat by upsetting former Sen. George Allen, the Republican who
ousted Robb from the Senate in 2000.
---
Democratic Rep. Ike Skelton of Missouri celebrated his new
chairmanship of the House Armed Services Committee with a reception
that drew dozens of members, staffers, military brass and lobbyists.
"I'm a lot better-looking and a lot smarter than I was a few months
ago," Skelton joked.
_________________________________________________
And great fun was had by all.
Harry
Borat! The Ratter.
From Mercury News
Posted on Thu, Jan. 04, 2007
http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/politics/16384928.htm
Some light moments emerge as Democrats take over Congress
By William Douglas
Posted on Thu, Jan. 04, 2007
McClatchy Newspapers
(MCT)
WASHINGTON -
At age 89, Sen. Robert Byrd's gait may have been slowed, but his
enthusiasm was positively boyish when he was sworn in Thursday as the
Senate's president pro tempore, the official who presides over the
Senate in the vice president's absence and is third in line for the
presidency.
"Yeah, man! Yeah, man! Hallelujah, hallelujah!" Byrd, D-W.Va., shouted
repeatedly after being sworn in by Vice President Dick Cheney, who is
president of the Senate.
Byrd's celebration was one of many quirky sights and sounds on Capitol
Hill Thursday as the 110th Congress opened for business with Democrats
at the helm of both the House of Representatives and the Senate for
the first time in 12 years.
---
Former President Clinton surprised journalists by strolling through
the Senate Press Gallery surrounded by a security detail.
Together they visited the gallery's men's room.
Clinton brushed off reporters' questions as he departed for the
visitors' gallery, where he and his daughter Chelsea watched Hillary
Rodham Clinton get sworn in for her second term as the junior senator
from New York.
Will she run for president?
"Ask her," her husband replied.
The visitors' gallery also featured a dash of Hollywood with actor
Richard Gere and singer Tony Bennett sitting in the tight row of seats
alongside the rest of the well-wishers.
---
Like Byrd, Rep. James Clyburn, D-S.C., was giddy over his new position
as House Democratic whip, the third-ranking leader.
"Let's go to church, let's go to church!" crowed a beaming Clyburn as
he left the Capitol for a pre-swearing-in religious service.
Later Clyburn attended a ceremony in his ornate office where he was
given an actual whip by former Rep. William Gray, D-Pa., who in 1989
had become the first African-American House majority whip. Clyburn's
the second.
Rep. Roy Blunt, R-Mo., the outgoing House majority whip, attended the
ceremony.
He recalled that every now and then students would look at the whip in
his office and timidly ask:
"You actually get to whip the members?"
Upon receiving the whip from Gray, Clyburn quipped, "I'll start with
my wife, who I believe is somewhere in this room."
---
Rep. Keith Ellison, D-Minn., made history Thursday by becoming the
first Muslim member of Congress.
He touched off a mini-controversy last month by announcing his
intention to be sworn in with his hand on the Quran.
Rep. Virgil H. Goode Jr., R-Va., led the outcry, warning that more
Muslims will swamp American culture unless there's stiff immigration
reform.
Ellison is an African-American, not an immigrant.
Thursday Ellison silenced many critics by using a Quran once owned by
Thomas Jefferson.
Then Ellison walked over and introduced himself to Goode, whose
district includes Jefferson's home of Monticello.
Ellison invited him to share a cup of coffee, and Goode accepted.
"I don't anticipate we're going to have any problems," Ellison said
later.
"We're not going to hold any grudges."
---
For the first time in 12 years, Democrats knew they'd win the House
speaker's election.
As the voice vote progressed, many seemed to be competing to see who
could most grandiosely announce their vote for California Rep. Nancy
Pelosi.
"On behalf of my three daughters, Nancy Pelosi," said Rep. Chaka
Fattah of Pennsylvania.
"The first woman, a daughter of Italy, Pelosi," said Rep. Rosa DeLauro
of Connecticut.
"In the name of Harriet Tubman, Sojourner Truth and Rosa Parks, and in
the name of Jesus, Nancy Pelosi," intoned Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. of
Illinois.
"For the empowerment of all women in the world, and individually
because you really deserve it, Nancy Pelosi," said Rep. Linda Sanchez
of California.
At one point, a voice from the Republican side grumbled near a
microphone, "All right, all right."
---
On the Senate floor, some familiar faces from the past escorted new
members to be sworn in.
Two former Republican Senate majority leaders from Tennessee - Howard
Baker and Bill Frist - escorted freshman Tennessee Republican Sen. Bob
Corker.
Former Democratic Sens. Max Cleland of Georgia, John Glenn of Ohio,
John Breaux of Louisiana, and Chuck Robb of Virginia, walked around
the Senate chamber slapping backs and sharing memories.
Robb may have felt a sense of sweet revenge.
He accompanied Virginia's new Democratic senator, James Webb, who won
his seat by upsetting former Sen. George Allen, the Republican who
ousted Robb from the Senate in 2000.
---
Democratic Rep. Ike Skelton of Missouri celebrated his new
chairmanship of the House Armed Services Committee with a reception
that drew dozens of members, staffers, military brass and lobbyists.
"I'm a lot better-looking and a lot smarter than I was a few months
ago," Skelton joked.
_________________________________________________
And great fun was had by all.
Harry
Borat! The Ratter.
--
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Todays U.S. Oil Wars News:
http://www.antiwar.com
http://icasualties.org/oif/
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Todays U.S. Oil Wars News:
http://www.antiwar.com
http://icasualties.org/oif/
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~