She Likes the Whip

Recap on torture: You know that Sen. John McCain introduced an amendment to the defense appropriations bill banning cruel and inhumane treatment of prisoners in American custody anywhere in the world. The vote in the Senate was 90-9 in favor of McCain's amendment.

The House's own defense appropriations bill contained no such ban on torture.

So the two bodies have to meet in a conference committee to work out the differences. El Presidente and his minions in the House are vehemently opposed to banning torture.

But yesterday the House overwhelmingly passed instructions to its own members of the conference committee to go along with McCain in banning torture. Some 107 Republicans voted with all the Democrats, save one. But Madame Virginia Foxx (cat-'o-nine-tails firmly in hand) voted on the side of torture, along with N.C. House members Sue Myrick, Charlie Taylor, and Patrick McHenry.

Patriot Act Extension: Madame Foxx, who likes strictness for everyone but herself, also voted for the renewal and extension of the USA Patriot Act, retaining those objectionable features that even members of her own party think cross the line. Rep. Walter "Freedom Fries" Jones voted with the Democrats against the renewal. So did Rep. Charlie Taylor. And a group of at least four Republican Senators have promised to uphold a Democratic filibuster promised by Sen. Russell Feingold in the Senate tomorrow. Republican senators Chuck Hagel, John Sununu, Larry Craig, and Lisa Murkowski say they will vote against renewal of the Patriot Act, so long as it continues to allow "sneak-and-peak" and other violations of individual freedoms.

Cracking Immigrants' Heads: A third showdown is happening at this very hour on the House floor as that body debates Madame Foxx's own harsh anti-immigration bill. It promises to be lively, since moderate Republicans have been drawing back from the meanness of the Foxx bill. Even before debate on the bill commenced this a.m., the Rules Committee had already tried to soften the thing, changing the imposition of felony charges to misdemeanors for those caught without proper papers (if I heard right on C-SPAN this a.m.). The bill would also end "birth-right" citizenship.