You read it here first

Via Jonah Goldberg at NRO's The Corner:

Got this from a lobbyist friend and close Congress-watcher late yesterday:


House D caucus voted to strip Billy Jefferson of his Ways and Means
seat. The vote was 99-58 which is hardly overwhelming and don't
underestimate for a moment how pissed off black Congressmen/women are.
On the heels of the Steny/Murtha mess, there are some deep fissures in
the caucus. Infighting, internecine strife, ah yes.......

Me: Well, if wishes were horses, beggars would ride. But it seems to me that with Bush seemingly getting his act together, the order of the universe demands that the Dems start to fall apart. About a month ago I wrote somewhere around here that the Tony Snow appointment might be remembered as the start of the administration's turn around. I think this week may be remembered as the start of the Democrats, if not quite implosion, than at least it's major fumble. YearlyKos annointed the blogosphere lefties, Hillary got booed, John Kerry flip-flopped again, coming out in favor of a bug out and saying he was wrong about the war, Pelosi announced she's giving up on the "culture of corruption" mantra, Murtha retracted his bid to run for Majority Leader, this Billy Jefferson thing, etc. And, of course, last week the Democrats didn't take Duke Cunningham's seat.

I wish I could be happier for the Republicans, but they still vex me to distraction. What was it Kissinger said of the Iran-Iraq war? "Pity only one of them can lose."

Things seem to have turned around. Two months ago, Bush had only the economy on his side--the economy, who like a Cy Young-award candidate for a third-place team, kept coming strong every few days and kept the bottom from falling out. Now with Zarqawi in the grave, an Iraqi cabinet up and running, rumblings of troop draw-down in the offing, Rove out of the dock and Tom DeLay home in Sugarland.

I think Goldberg is mostly correct. In addition, the GOP majorities in both houses have come up with a clever method of shutting up the Dems and their "re-deploy" this and their "hard deadline" that re Iraq. Lately, everytime a Murtha (in the House) or a Kerry (in the Senate) has run his mouth too long about withdrawals or deadlines, the GOP majority in the corresponding chamber has said, "Oh, that's what you want? Great. Let's vote on it. Let's vote on it tomorrow." And the vote takes place, with the Dems fighting the vote with every page of Robert's Rules of Order.

One other thing. You read it hear first. This William Jefferson thing is going to be huge as the summer wears on and the silly season heats up. I've been on Jesse Jackson/Al Sharpton watch for three weeks. Isn't it just a matter of time?