It's "Energy Week" in the House of Representatives, an attempt to underline the fact that the Senate has yet to pass the energy bill, in large part because Tom Daschle refused to use his vaunted clout last fall to get the the two votes necessary to kill a Democratic-led filibuster (Daschle said on the Senate floor that he "reluctantly" supported the bill). Daschle's refusal or inability to use his clout left ethanol in a lurch.
The AP has a story headlined "House Resends Power Bill; Action Unlikely." Excerpt:
But a Democratic attempt to kill the bill failed 230-192. The House then passed the legislation 244-178 with all but a handful of Republicans voting for it.
A quick look at the House roll call vote on the Democratic attempt to kill the energy bill shows that Stephanie Herseth voted with the Democrats to kill it. Remember, this bill includes provisions for ethanol so important to South Dakota. When that attempt to kill the energy bill failed, and the bill was up for final passage, Herseth turned around and voted FOR the bill she had just tried to kill. It's a classic having-it-both-ways maneuver, which Herseth no doubt learned from the master of the technique.
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