ATTITUDE ADJUSTMENT IN THE SENATE

Over a beer earlier this week with a Republican Senator, I couldn't help but asking how he was doing.  Had the GOP retained its majority, he would have been the chairman of one of the Senate's most powerful committees.  Starting next month, he would be just another minority schmuck.

"Sure, it's a disappointment," he said.  "It's the dream of your life for a guy like me.  So I have a choice.  I can be bitter – or I can have fun.  I choose fun."

I frowned.  "How are you going to have fun?" I asked skeptically.

He smiled.  "Come on, Jack, you know how the Senate works.  It's not like the House, where the minority is lower than dirt, and treated like subhuman Moslem Dhimmis.  Harry (Harry Reid, incoming Senate Majority Leader) has no majority at all.  Hell, it's 51-49, with the 51^st being Joe Lieberman and we've got Cheney as a tie-breaker.  We can screw them any time we want and Harry knows it."

He took a long sip of his beer.  "Remember when you would get so mad at us for not getting rid of our filibuster rule?" he asked me.  "Remember when you moaned, ‘The Senate is just a place where great legislation from the House goes to die.'  Well, thanks to our paying no attention to you, the Senate will now be a place where lousy legislation passed by the House goes to die."

I sighed, and we laughed over his self-satisfaction.  "Ok, Ok, you were right.  But how will this be fun?"

His smile broadened.  "Let me explain something to you, buddy.  Politicians who actually want to accomplish something decent and good can do so in two ways.  First, they can pass legislation that will improve the lives of our citizens by increasing and protecting their freedom.  Or second, they can block legislation that will damage our citizens' freedom and security.

"I'll be happy to work with Democrats on those rare occasions when their legislation is of the first kind.  But most all of what they want to do is of the second kind.  So here's what I'm going to do.  Whenever my committee is considering legislation that will damage our freedom and security, I'm going to walk into the room with a hand grenade, pull the pin, roll it down the aisle, and leave."

He took another long sip.  He put his beer mug down and declared, "Damn, that's going to be fun!"