All is not sweetness and light in Washington DC.
Yesterday, House Democratic leaders had gathered in the Cannon Caucus room to celebrate taking power announce changes to the House rules and a domestic agenda. Instead, theywere shouted down by a group of Left wing activists led by Cindy Sheehan, who drove lawmakers away from the microphones and off the podium.
When Democratic Caucus Chairman Rahm Emanuel (D-Ill.) stepped up to pronounce that Democrats fundamentally would “change the relationship between lawmakers and legislators,” Sheehan and her allies started shouting, "De-escalate, investigate, bring our troops home now!"
Emanuel tried to keep things going, but he, Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.), Majority Whip James Clyburn (D-S.C.) and incoming Rules Committee Chairman Louise Slaughter (D-N.Y.) ended up having to leave and remove to the inside of the Cannon Caucus room when the shouting didn't stop and they were unable to continue.
The video can be seen here
"They are not including the peace movement’s voice," Sheehan said.
"Speaker Pelosi and the Democratic leadership can no longer tell us what is on the table," she said. "We are the ones that put them in power and they are not including the peace movement. ... It needs to be at least included in the discussion."
She demanded the elimination of funding for the war, an investigation and impeachment of President Bush for what she called "lies" to justify the war.
"We didn't put you in power to work with the people that have been murdering hundreds of thousands of people since they have been in power," Sheehan said. "We put you in power to be opposition to them finally and we're the ones who put them in power."
Significantly, Sheehan received a hug from rep. John Conyers(D-MI), the prospective head of the House Judiciary Committee...and another prominent figure present inthe group was ex-congresswoman Cynthia McKinney, a long-time Conyers ally and friend. I think we're in for some interesting investigations and proceedings very soon.
In a possibly unrelated instance, White House counsel Harriet Miers - remember her? - resigned As White House Counsel today.
Stay tuned...
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