Senate Democrats Come Back to Life

Wow. Harry Reid and the Democrats are finally taking it to the Repubs in the Senate. Bush can try to change the subject away from the Iraq War and the failures of his administration, but for this afternoon, at least, Reid's changing it back.

It started with a speech he gave on the Senate floor (text via Raw Story) decrying the lies that led to war and Congress's refusal to exercise proper oversight.

This indictment raises very serious charges. It asserts this Administration engaged in actions that both harmed our national security and are morally repugnant.

The decision to place U.S. soldiers in harm’s way is the most significant responsibility the Constitution invests in the Congress. The Libby indictment provides a window into what this is really about: how the Administration manufactured and manipulated intelligence in order to sell the war in Iraq and attempted to destroy those who dared to challenge its actions.

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What has been the response of this Republican-controlled Congress to the Administration’s manipulation of intelligence that led to this protracted war in Iraq? Basically nothing. Did the Republican-controlled Congress carry out its constitutional obligations to conduct oversight? No. Did it support our troops and their families by providing them the answers to many important questions? No. Did it even attempt to force this Administration to answer the most basic questions about its behavior? No.

That's bold enough based on their recent performance and a refreshing change from the silent acquiescence we've been seeing from the Dems. But this was only the beginning. Reid forced the doors of the Senate closed so that they could talk about national security issues of prewar intelligence in confidence. Senate Rule XXI, invoked by Reid, demands that galleries be emptied and no one come in or out until the end of the session. John Aravosis watched the news coverage:

CNN just said that by invoking Rule 21, Reid just shut down the Senate, all 100 Senators are called to the Senate floor, they have to turn over their cell phones, blackberries, etc.

This all came out of the blue to Frist and the Repub leadership, who were upset, to say the least. Here he is courtesy of CNN:

The United States Senate has been hijacked by the Democratic leadership. They have no convictions, they have no principles, they have no ideas.

I've been disappointed by the Dems for a while, but this afternoon, they've at least got one idea, and it seems like a pretty good one. The Repubs can end the closed session with a majority vote, but as of this writing, CNN hasn't reported that they have.