the HOUSE is having a FIT right now! PIE FIGHT on the HILL!

there was a "mistake" mde and the republicans screwed up and voted against something they wanted - or maybe the other way around.

there is a whole lot of shouting (a la, british parliament close to the throwing chairs in hong kong?)

the vote is on the homeland security bill - the question is on the adoption of an amendment that the republicans wanted but voted against thinking they were voting AGAINST the bill...

how did it happen?  go below (and be sure to watch the reruns on cspan).

the republican peter king (bill manager) objected to a republican amendment offered after a small issue was corrected in committee - stopped the amendment they SAID they wanted - but are voting no on ANYTHING the dems offer - screwed up and voted no on their OWN amendment!

the bill on homeland security covers scaling it back and the issue is the manager's amendment (benny thompson-d).  scraps 14 provisions like requiring single point of homeland security oversight (9/11 commission rec) and more issues (will track later.)

this is a real floor fight and the final vote is coming up live in a few - check it out and i'll return in a bit to do more indepth analysis of what is happening with this bill.

enjoy - sorry you missed the shouting - and yelling - and heated exchanges - and fury... just know that the white house is very unhappy and is threatening to veto it because the human resourses aspect is being removed (hmmm, can't pad the office anymore?)

the courts, btw, have already torn down much of the human resourses section so this is really about another threat to veto anything democrat.  will be interesting these next two years... much fodder for 2008!