Sunday, December 10, 2006

109th Congress a dud, critics say | ajc.com

109th Congress a dud, critics say | ajc.com: "The 109th Congress slipped into history Saturday as one of the most unpopular and least effective since the 80th Congress that Harry Truman reviled as 'do nothing' in his famous 1948 underdog campaign for president.

'What would Harry Truman say about the 109th Congress? Harry Truman would probably apologize to the 80th Congress,' quipped Norm Ornstein, a political analyst at the American Enterprise Institute.

'I would say the 109th went out of town not with a bang but a whimper,' he added, 'but that would be an insult to whimperers everywhere.'

The GOP-led 109th, which passed a flurry of trade and tax legislation before adjourning, did claim some successes. In his farewell address Thursday, Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.) cited three major accomplishments: $15 billion for a global fight against HIV-AIDS, a new Medicare prescription drug benefit and confirmation of Supreme Court Justices John Roberts and Sam Alito.

"

0 Comments:

Post a Comment

<< Home