Dems Keep First Promise: Anti-Terrorism Bill Passes

What the Republican Congress couldn’t accomplish in five years, the Democratic Congress took care of in – yes! – the first 100 hours:

House easily passes anti-terror bill

WASHINGTON (AP) — Anti-terror legislation sailed through the House on Tuesday, the first in a string of measures designed to fulfill campaign promises made by Democrats last fall.

Patterned on recommendations of the commission that investigated the Sept. 11 attacks, the far-reaching measure includes commitments for inspection of all cargo carried aboard passenger aircraft and on ships bound for the United States.

The vote was a bipartisan 299-128

Some of the more interesting reactions from Republicans:

Several Republicans criticized the legislation as little more than political posturing in the early hours of a new Democratic-controlled Congress.

Yes, compared with the flag-burning amendment and getting God locked into the Pledge of Allegiance, national security certainly should take a back seat as "political posturing."

"This bill will waste billions of dollars, and possibly harm homeland security by gumming up progress already underway," said Rep. Hal Rogers, R-Ky.

Note: The money complaint is issuing from the mouth of a member of a political party that is conducting a war off the books. And any visible "progress already underway" seems to amount to tapping our phones in violation of the Constitution, torturing people who’ve had no trial, suspending habeas corpus ... and oh, yeah, making us dump our perfume and take off our shoes at the airport.

Rep. John Mica, R-Fla., noted disapprovingly that screeners at the Transportation Security Agency would receive collective bargaining rights under the bill.

My word! Imagine the chaos into which this country will descend if workers get together to bargain about decent wages and working conditions! It’s hard to imagine, say ... police officers or firefighters joining any organization that would lead to collective bargaining, isn’t it?

And Rep. Peter King, R-N.Y., said the measure "gives false hope to the American people" because technology for scanning all cargo containers is not yet available.

This from the same political party that brought us "Mission Accomplished!" and "Adapt to Win!" and – playing on a TV screen near you tomorrow! – "A New Way Forward!" Pssst ... Mr. King? I suspect that whatever the president’s so-called plan for success is in Iraq, it is "not yet available." And never will be.