Today in Washington D. C. - July 16, 2008

Senate Democrats are doing everything to keep the Congress’ approval rating low.
The Senate: The Senate will resume consideration of the global AIDS relief bill (S. 2731). Roll call votes on amendments to the bill are expected throughout the day. Yesterday, the Senate rejected two amendments to the AIDS bill and voted to override the veto of the Medicare payments fix bill. Concern is the the bill currently allows HIV/AIDS-Infected Immigrants to enter the U.S. and the US then icurs all associated costs for treatment.

From Senate & News Sources: The lack of action from the Democrat-led Congress on gas prices and its overall record of mismanagement and partisanship has the public expressing its displeasure again. In a previous Rasmussen Reports poll, Congress was rated at 9%. Now a Gallup poll also shows them with 14% approval rating -“the lowest congressional job approval rating in the 34-year Gallup Poll history of asking the question. . . . Approval of Congress has fallen below 20% only six times in the 34 years Gallup has measured it. Including the latest reading, four of those have come in the past year.”

Americans are looking for action from Congress, and more rank-and-file Democrats are acknowledging that message by signaling “receptiveness” to more domestic energy exploration. Senate Republicans have urged a strategy of “finding more and using less” energy. Democrat Sen. Kent Conrad tell CNN yesterday, “We have got to deal with conserving, using less. We also have to produce more.” While more recalcitrant Democrats have promoted a cute slogan, “Act More, Talk Less.” Senate GOP Leader Mitch McConnell said this morning, “I couldn’t agree more with their new slogan, and I hope they take it seriously, too.”

The Wall Street Journal writes today, “Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid faced more pressure to ease a congressional ban on expanded offshore drilling for oil, as both Republicans and Democrats sought to show they are responding to high energy prices in an election year.” Unfortunately, instead of scheduling a vote on offshore drilling, Reid “said he is ready to move a bill targeting what he called ‘greedy speculators.’” CQ Today notes that Reid “did not commit to allowing a drilling amendment.” Sen. McConnell had a warning about that kind of action: “Anything short of finding more and using less is not likely to fool the American people and not likely to be signed on to by the vast majority of the Republican conference.”

Iraq continues to show positive signs. However, some Democrats continue to prove themselves clueless about the situation there. The Washington Post takes Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) to task for his “foolish consistency” on timetables for withdrawal. The Post writes, “The message that the Democrat sends is that he is ultimately indifferent to the war’s outcome -- that Iraq ‘distracts us from every threat we face’ and thus must be speedily evacuated regardless of the consequences.’” Dean Barnett, Weekly Standard points out that Senate Foreign Relations Comm. Chair Joe Biden (D-DE) declared yesterday that “the bad guys” we are fighting are not in Iraq. That must be news to all the soldiers, sailors, airmen, and Marines serving in the country.

And in the financial sector, commentators continue to be baffled by the actions of Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) that precipitated the collapse of IndyMac Bank in California. Examiner columnist Jay Ambrose wonders, “why in the name of political maturity, prudence and just ordinary common sense did Schumer do this incredible thing?” Ambrose concludes, “Because he is blessed with none of the above . . . .”

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