GOP blocks Medicare, Conyers subpoenas Bush/Cheney transcripts and more

By GottaLaff

Congress whatnots and thingamajigs -- First, Senate Republicans are fraidy cats, says Harry Reid:

Final action came as Senate Republicans narrowly blocked passage of a separate Medicare bill, which had sailed through the House only days before but fell one vote short of the 60 needed to invoke cloture.

The stalemate means physicians with elderly patients face an automatic 10.6 percent cut in Medicare reimbursements effective July 1. Pacing the floor, Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) angrily accused Republicans of putting the government-backed health program at risk and vowed to force a second vote on the issue as soon as the Senate returns from the Fourth of July recess.

“During the next 10 days, think how you are going to vote the next time,” Reid said, openly taunting President Bush for his weak standing in the polls.

“How in the world could anybody be afraid of him vetoing a bill?” Reid asked. “How you can go home and say, 'I voted no because this weak president, with the weakest political standing since they’ve done polling, I voted because I was afraid to override his veto.' Oh, come on.”

Next, Conyers wants interviews and so much more:

House Judiciary Committee John Conyers has issed a subpoena to the Justice Dept. for the unredacted interviews with President Bush and Vice President Cheney on former CIA operative Valerie Plame, as well as numerous other documents sought unsuccessfully by Democrats for years.

Conyers is also seeking FBI notes of interviews with some top former White House officials, including Karl Rove, Lewis "Scooter" Libby, Scott McClellan, Dan Bartlett and Andrew Card.

The committee also wants unreleased memos from DOJ's Office of Legal Counsel, including an Oct. 23, 2001, memo related to use of American military forces to combat terrorism within the United States.

In addition, Conyers is seeking any materials in DOJ's possession related to the 2002 New Hampshire "phone jamming" incident, the firing of a U.S. attorney in Minnesota, the department's civil rights activities, and "selective prosecution" of Democratic politicians such as former Alabama Gov. Don Siegelman.

Whew! 'Atsa lotta wanna!

But you know what they say, ask not, want not.