Today in Washington D. C. - Feb 29, 2008

On The Floor: Senate: reconvened resumed consideration of the motion to proceed to H.R. 3221, which is expected to be the vehicle for Democrats’ housing legislation (S. 2636). Yesterday, the Senate shelved Sen. Russ Feingold’s (D-WI) bill asking for a report on a strategy to defeat al Qaeda and limit troop deployments (S. 2634). The day before Feingold’s latest Iraq withdrawal proposal was pulled from the floor. House: Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid failed to get cloture on the motion to proceed to the Democrats’ housing bill (H.R. 3221) yesterday after refusing an agreement on amendments offered by Republicans. Like last fall’s debate on the farm bill, Reid has insisted that he approve Republicans’ amendments before they are offered. Republicans once again rejected that approach by denying cloture on the bill.

From Senate & News Sources: CQ Today reports that House Democrats are planning to bring to the floor a “replacement bill” for the Senate-passed FISA modernization bill. It’s unclear whether the bill will include the provision granting telecommunications companies immunity from lawsuits over their cooperation with terror surveillance programs.

House Republicans are rightly insisting on the House just passing the Senate bill to quickly reverse the degradation of our intelligence capabilities since the Protect America Act expired and secure the continued cooperation of telecoms. In the Examiner today, Quin Hillyer explains the outrageous lawsuits that telecoms are faced with over their prior cooperation with the government on terror surveillance and why it is important to prevent such suits.

While House Democrats haggle over FISA, Senate Democrats wasted little time in shelving their Iraq bills in favor of housing legislation, though promising they would try once again in April when more funds for operations in Iraq and Afghanistan will need to be appropriated. However, Democrats may have an even more difficult time in their next round of calls for retreat, according to a new Pew poll. Pew finds, “Public perceptions about U.S. progress in Iraq continue to improve. In fact, in a number of areas those with positive evaluations outnumber those with negative views.” The poll shows rapidly decreasing support for a quick withdrawal and that perceptions of progress have increased across party lines over the last year.

With Iraq debate sidelined, Senate Democrats turned their attention to a bill stuffed full of money for cities and states to rehabilitate houses and homeowner counseling services that Democrats are branding as another “stimulus” bill. Unfortunately, the bill appears poised to stimulate higher mortgage payments. What you haven’t read in the press about this bill, though, is that the money for homeowner counseling programs will go to certain groups that Democrats believe are “experts” in this area. Sen. Bob Casey (D-PA) (video link) was candid enough to note two of those groups in remarks on the Senate floor yesterday: ACORN and La Raza. Hot Air has he details and recalls what ACORN is better known for.

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