Here's what I wrote my (Massachusetts) Congressman on Hastert's decision not to allow the 9/11 Commission's May deadline to get extended:
I was infuriated to learn yesterday that House Speaker Dennis Hastert won't allow legislation to come to the floor to extend the 9/11 Commission's May deadline. As the Speaker's own spokesman admits, this refusal is motivated by little more than fears that the Commission's report will become a "political football if this thing is extended and it is released in the middle of the presidential campaign" (http://www.reuters.com/printerFriendlyPopup.jhtml?type=politicsNews&storyID=4437913).
It is unacceptable and despicable that the House GOP leadership would play politics with the 9/11 Commission. For all his obstruction, even President Bush has officially backed the extension. The House GOP leadership, whether acting on their own or as surrogates for President Bush, are putting our nation at risk. They want the Commission to fail and are doing everything in their power to achieve that result. Failure is not an option.
I call upon you to file a discharge petition to bring this extension to a floor vote. Though only two discharge petitions have ever been successful, this is the same number of successful terrorist attacks that the 9/11 Commission is chartered to investigate. Whereas the successful Campaign Finance Reform discharge petition both held bipartisan support and faced bipartisan opposition, surely this extension holds bipartisan support and little opposition in the House, just as it holds bipartisan support in the Senate. And while few discharge petitions have been officially successful, many more have succeeded by forcing the House leadership to cave without being signed by the requisite 50% of members.
There is no excuse for refusing to give the 9/11 Commission the extension it insists is crucial. There is no excuse for running out the clock on an investigation of such national importance. The American People need to know that Republicans are playing politics with their national security, and filing this discharge petition should be an opening salvo in the Democrats' efforts to teach them.
You should write something similar to your own Congresscritters and local papers. Hastert's obstruction is outrageous.