Congress: Not Doing Nothing

House Democrats had a busy day. First up is Congressman Jack Murtha's new bill for getting troops out of Iraq by November. I'm sure the fact that maybe stalling until September wasn't a terrific plan has occurred to Bush administration officials, but hey — they at least get to stall until September, right? Now, as generals have begun hinting that September won't be enough time by a long shot, Murtha's new plan hits the floor. They'll vote next week, and they will likely vote on something similar in September if this one has trouble in the Senate.

The House voted and approved a bill today that not only prohibits the Defense Department from building any permanent military bases anywhere in Iraq, but also prevents the US from having any kind of power or say over Iraqi oil. From Politico's Crypt:

"It makes a clear statement of policy that the U.S. does not intend to maintain an open ended military presence in Iraq and that we won't exercise control over Iraqi oil," Lee said in a statement afterward. "The perception that the United States plans to maintain a permanent military presence in Iraq strengthens the insurgency, and it fuels the violence against our troops."

It didn't just pass, by the way. It passed 399-24. So in that is at least the tacit bipartisan acknowledgment that permanent bases in Iraq are a very unpopular idea.

Lastly, the vote happened and came out like we thought it would: the House Judiciary Committee voted by party lines to hold Harriet Miers and Joshua Bolten in contempt of Congress for giving earlier committee subpoenas the Heisman. Now it gets kicked to the floor, where I'm guessing it will probably pass. Then it becomes a criminal matter and everything gets sideways while your 24-hour news network runs "SHOWDOWN IN WASHINGTON" graphics all day long. Stay tuned.