Political publicity stunts, whining, and a pay raise

This title sounds like something that might be out of the ordinary or bad, but it is exactly what our crazy congress has been up to. Regardless of whether you're a Democrat or a Republican you must be pretty fed up with your elected representatives - I know I am.

First the Democrats pulled a political stunt and called for a closed session to discuss pre-war intelligence. This was a stunt to the highest degree in that they threatened to "repeat it every day" until they received "answers." Well, we know that the pre-war intelligence was wrong but not coerced and we have about three commissions that have already made that clear. Further, the closed session were not repeated because there was nothing more to discuss.

Next the Republicans joined suit, and after John Murtha made a plea that the war in Iraq was accomplishing nothing and that we should recall our troops as quickly as possible (a plea he has been making for months, by the way) the Republicans pulled a pointless political stunt of their own and introduced a meaningless bill into the House that would call for immediate troop withdrawals in Iraq. This resolution had no power and it wasn't even what Murtha was talking about.

Now you have Democrats whining that Murtha was being picked on, and all the while you have the same Democrats calling the President of the United States a liar! Across the isle you have Republicans whining that the President is being picked on and those same Republicans are calling Murtha a coward!

For the final insult of just where our elected officials' heads are, we have unanimous bipartisan support for their annual cost-of-living pay raise. At a time when spending is out of control (fiscal conservatism is dead) and publicity stunts are the norm I would expect the Democrats and Republicans to join together and announce that if the budget is to be cut their salaries should be the first to be lowered. Of course, this is not the case.

I think I should send everyone a letter:

Dear United States Congress:

Stop wasting your time complaining and pulling political stunts. Stop whining and calling each other names. Vote down your own pay raise and make a legitimate bipartisan attempt to balance the budget.

Thanks,
radar