Wesley Pruden
The Washington Times
10/3/2013
…The Republicans, fighting with smaller-bore weaponry, keep trying to get some things reopened with carefully targeted legislation. The Senate, under the thumbs of Sen. Harry Reid and the White House, refuses to budge from the trivial and the petty. It says here that Harry Reid’s critics, and they are legion, should give the guy a break. No man in Washington is under the pressure he is, and it doesn’t seem quite cricket to do that to an old man, even one who deserves it.
Harry is at the breaking point, weary from exhausting his thesaurus for synonyms for “arsonist” and “terrorist” and “pillager.” Everyone could see the cracks in his exchange with Dana Bash, a reporter for CNN, who asked why, if he is concerned about children with cancer who are unable to enter clinical trials for new drugs because Mr. Obama shut down the National Institutes of Health, why stifle Republican attempts to grant a little relief?
“If you can help one child who has cancer, why wouldn’t you do it?” the reporter asked.
“Why would we want to do that?” Mr. Reid snapped back. “I have 1,100 people at Nellis Air Force Base that are sitting home. They have a few problems of their own. This is — to have someone of your intelligence to suggest such a thing maybe means you’re irresponsible and reckless.”
Over the next two days, Mr. Reid tried to take back, change, adjust and recalibrate his remarks….
The complete op-ed is at The Washington Times.
Related: ‘Entire terminal cheering’: Laura Ingraham, others greet Honor Flight vets headed to WWII Memorial [photos]
Guess who we are waiting for at Reagan Nat’l Airport? #stormthebarricades #WorldWarII pic.twitter.com/VxKLWuElma
— Laura Ingraham (@IngrahamAngle) October 5, 2013
Read the whole thing.
Update: NBC: Police Remove Vietnam War Veterans at Memorial Wall
…It takes more manpower and costs the government more money to close down an outdoor wall than to let people walk past it and pay their respects.
The Obama administration has been very selective in devoting resources to shutting down memorials…
Which lawmakers will refuse their pay during the shutdown?
…As of early afternoon Thursday, at least 138 lawmakers have said that they plan to donate or refuse compensation earned over the course of the impasse. (The count includes a few members who already donate their salary to charity). Here’s our Thursday tally, in alphabetical order, but check back for updates.. Note: Below this list will be members of Congress who previously said they were donating or refusing the shutdown pay…
Blocking access to trails and programs at South Dakota’s most popular attraction was one thing, but state officials didn’t expect Congress’ budget stalemate to shut down a view of Mount Rushmore…
…Maggie Thornton has been in contact with folks on the ground, and is running updates with pictures from the ride and escort on her blog, Maggie’s notebook.
Maggie reports that police have closed the front of the Memorial but opened the back of the Memorial to allow only the WWII Veterans to enter…
