mirthless laughter

is the only possible reaction to the GOP's current response to any oversight, criticism, or disciplinary action taken on by any of the democratic-led congressional committees. The GOP whine goes something like this:

I can't believe you democrats are wasting time investigating such paltry matters when we have issues of dire importance such as immigration/education/energy that are going to hell in a handbasket while we're tied up in here.

It would be instructional to figure out how many who are making this argument have taken obstructionist action against legislation to deal with said issues.

But leaving that aside, I was just watching the Henry Waxman-led meeting on GSA Administrator Lurita Doan's Hatch Act violations. In his closing statement Ranking Minority Member Rep. Tom Davis (Virginia) had the utter chutzpah to refer oh-so-piously to the recent poll showing great disaffection with congress. On the remote chance that Rerp. Daviis happens to read this blog, let me just assure him that those poll numbers do not reflect unhappiness over an excess of oversight.

Rep. Waxman, to my mind, deserves a medal for his verbal restraint.