Here's a quick wrap of what our Congressional delegation has been doing and saying in Washington recently:
*On Iraq, Sen. Claire McCaskill says she's frustrated by a Senate rule that lets the minority party put the majority in a corner. 60 members must agree to force a debate or vote. ''Maybe after I'm here awhile I'll understand it,'' she said, "but right now it seems like we ought to be able to vote and see where the majority is, not where 60 are."
*What do Hillary Clinton and Sen. Kit Bond have in common? Both opposed the confirmation of Gen. George Casey as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, according to the K.C. Star. Also voting "no," John Sununu, John McCain, John Ensign and Lindsey Graham, many of whom are members of the Senate Armed Services Committee.
*Would new ethics rules put a damper on a Valentine's Day dinner between Rep. Roy Blunt and his wife, Abigail, who is a lobbyist for Altria? The D.C. paper Roll Call dishes. New rules ban members from receiving gifts and meals from lobbyists. So does that mean Abigail couldn't buy dinner for Roy? If they had just started dating today, "I'm confident that the new rules would not impact them, because Congressman Blunt is an old-fashioned gentleman who always picks up the tab," said his spokeswoman, Burson Snyder.
*Members of the House are expected to vote on an Iraq resolution co-sponsored by Missouri's Rep. Ike Skelton by week's end. The one-page resolution states that backers "will continue to support and protect" U.S. troops in Iraq but that "Congress disapproves of the decision" to increase U.S. force levels there. Skelton also spoke to CNN's Lou Dobbs today and said, "We stand in the shoes of the people who send us here. This is a debate reflecting the American people, the American people's wish, quite frankly. And it does not appear that people are supporting the increase in troops. It didn't work back in September, October and why should it work now?"
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