Does the Congress usually take off so long in January ??

[kentuck]

Maybe it's just because it looks like they're all hiding from the hearings and investigations, hoping their their absence will somehow translate into "nor present when all the crimes were taking place".

I read that the House is not to return for a month? Although they were in for a bit today? What's the deal? I don't know, but I don't recall them taking off so long in January before? Why?

[gumby]

1. Might be mistaken,

But think this 'extended vacation' is all about DeLay. They are taking time off to see if he can be Majority Leader again. Anyone else?

[Sydnie]

2. The House is on a Delay Death Watch

They are giving Delay the extra time to try to deal with his legal woes. If he can get it wrapped up by the end of January, he can possibly get his leaders seat back. If he can't, they will probably replace him. This is a death watch vacation.

The Senate must have felt that there was no need to come back until the House does.

[NanceGreggs]

3. If the government is going to be shutting down ...

... every time a Repug gets indicted or is under investigation, they may as well ALL PACK UP AND GO HOME FOR GOOD.

At the rate things are going, they may as well put a bail bondman's office right in the lobby of the House ...

[Sydnie]

4. True 'dat!

It is a filing year for many of them too, so they are probably using the extra time to campaign a bit ... Delay included. Hubris knows no boundries.

[Stinky The Clown]

5. Because of the 06 election campaigns, I heard that the total 'in session'

time for the congress will be about 60 days (or something close to that).

[Sydnie]

8. 60 days? out of 365?

That's outrageous! Unless they are going back to do what ever they did before they got elected (Imagine Frist's bedside manner? ewwwwww), then they had better work more than that! Sheesh .. it's a good job, if you can afford to win it, huh?

[gratuitous]

6. No, Hastert delayed bringing the House back

So that DeLay could have the maximum possible time to beat the rap down in Texas. Of course, that was never anything more than a fool's hope, but that's why the Republicans have Dennis Hastert in the Speaker's chair (Sam Rayburn this guy ain't, if you know what I mean, and I think you do).

Congress has to reconvene by law (yeah, I know, the GOP following the law, it is to laugh) in time for Stupidhead's latest State of the Whatever speech (this year's special sitting-behind-Pickles guest will probably be Kenny Boy Lay) and Hastert had hoped that DeLay would be cleared of all the corruption charges by then so he could be back as Majority Leader. Abramoff's plea today probably dashes that hope forever, and DeLay's going to be making his next deal in a jail cell haggling over a pack of cigarettes.

[AtomicKitten]

7. Nancy Pelosi launched a campaign to get the House back

to finish the people's work. Who says Dems aren't attacking when it's relevant? I heard her statement today and she laid into the Republicans for neglecting their duties. This delay for Delay should be spot-lightened to embarrass the Republicans, and she is doing her part.