Congress Does Right

Bob Schieffer: Congress Is Starting To Clean Its Own House

(CBS)  Weekly commentary by CBS Evening News chief Washington correspondent and Face the Nation host Bob Schieffer.

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I know you'll find this shocking but I am about to say something nice about the Congress.

I mean it.

Congress has actually done some pretty decent stuff lately &#$0151; the House has put itself on a five-day work week. With holidays, they haven't actually worked five days in a row yet, but they've been around the Capitol more than usual. That's important because it means they may even get to know each other.

Working their Wednesday-Thursday schedule in recent years so they could rush home to attend more fundraisers has left Congress a collection of strangers, one reason the debates have become so nasty — and so unproductive.

Equally important, both houses have finally gotten serious about ethics reform.

Mind you, it has taken a slew of indictments and jail terms — on Friday former Ohio Congressman Bob Ney became the latest to head for the hoosegow — but the new rules the House approved and the legislation the Senate passed Friday amount to the toughest reforms since Watergate.

The reforms ban gifts and travel paid for by lobbyists, bar senators' spouses from lobbying, take away pensions of members of Congress convicted of serious crimes, and require public disclosure of who is involved when those secret projects called earmarks are slipped into appropriation bills.

What is breathtaking is not so much that these things have been outlawed, but that they were ever allowed in the first place.

To be sure, there are still some loopholes to be closed, but at least this is a start. How long has it been since we could say even that?

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[dallison7]

Maybe, just maybe this new congress will continue to do the will of the people. Looks pretty good so far but let's see how it looks in a year or two.

[hillaryin08]

Bob Schieffer is a cirtified, flaming, card carrying Liberal. This isnt news.

The last time I watched Bob Schieffer was when he thew a tirade along with Hanoi Dan Rather when Bush won the election and also when the Saddam Statue was brought down. That was worth every minute

schieffer's not a liberal. He has no choice but to discuss this.

[one_american]

Bob Schieffer's in twiterpated LOVE with the new congress is because it's a Democrat-controlled congress. Anything they do from here on out is "O.K. fine" by Bob's standards -- which are supremely low standards by anyone's measure. Higher taxes for everyone? GREAT! Fake ethics reform while the Democrats make themselves the exception? GREAT! Sacrifice our Nation's security for popularity in the polls (of liberals)?? LOVE IT!!! CAN'T GET ENOUGH OF IT!!!!

Right, Bob?

Bob, do youself and the nation a favor and retire. We're as sick of you as we were of that clucking wet hen, Danny Boy Rather.

[one_american]

For you last broadcast, Bob, why don't you talk about Harry Reid's unethical land deal, or Nancy Pelosi's sweet deal with San Francisco-based tuna companies to save them from paying the new minimum wage to employees?

My bet is you will use that time to take a nap.

[frankly6]

Right on Bob.

Finally, we have a breath of fresh air in Congress...some guidelines are established to control the lobbying corruption, plus some other reforms, and right-wingers skewer Bob Schieffer for praising the badly-needed changes.
It is to his credit that Mr. Schieffer, a known Republican, has the objectivity to recognize these accomplishments.

[duffyn]

Whatever the Democratic party is, I love it 10 x's more than the republican s. Want to know why the last 8 years have been painfull? You've been getting screwed by an elephant!

[jimfinster]

janem4 and One_American:

If you dislike Schieffer so much, why not trot back over to Fox? Thanks.

[rafterman1]

"Why does jefferson still have his seat?"

Because he was re-elected, so blame the voters. At least Jefferson was removed from his committees though. That's more than that criminal Delay had to face from his fellow Republicans, who gave him a standing ovation in a closed door meeting.

"They do not allow unions"

I thought you righties hated unions? Now you are all for them? Make up your mind.

"How about rahm emanuel knowing about foley and his e-mails way before it was released."

Nice try trying to defelct the blame. Foley was the Repub's boy and it was their responsibility to get rid of him. The Repubs wouldn't even tell the lone Dem on the Page board about Foley. The Repubs wanted to wait until after the election and the seat was safely Repub berfore doing anything but it blew up in their faces.

[bluestardad]

Well Done Nancy! Now Iraq is no longer an immediate threat to America, There are no Weapons of Mass Destruction, Saddam Hussein is no longer in power, and a New Elected Government is in office. Mission Accomplished Pull the Troops OUT and come home. If accomplishment of the Original Mission is considered failure in Iraq then who is writing the History here? To encapsulate the countries wish to Withdrawal from Iraq into a Losing Sound Bite argument for staying the Course in Iraq is a Rovian NeoCon Tactic that the Rest of America has rejected on November 7, 2006 and is not buying now. So take your Neocon, Chicken Hawk Stay the course or people will die bologna and pounditupyourasssideways. Americans are dieing three per day and billions of dollars are being spent so you can set in your offices drink coffee and say YOUR PLAN MR. NEOCON for Iraq did not fail. But it did America saw thru your lies and calls you into account.

[sharncedar]

"Finally, we have a breath of fresh air in Congress"

Funny, it doesn't smell fresh, it smells like someone's been eating beans and sausage ...

[one_american]

bluestardad:

Kill youself, you worthless Communist.

[feelfree1]

Re:

"bluestardad:

Kill youself, you worthless Communist.
Posted by One_American at 04:14 PM : Jan 21, 2007"

One(pittiful)American: Are you having trouble choking down your sour grapes?

[feelfree1]

Re:

"Finally, we have a breath of fresh air in Congress"

"Funny, it doesn't smell fresh, it smells like someone's been eating beans and sausage ...
Posted by SharnCedar at 03:52 PM : Jan 21, 2007"

Ah, ha, ha, ha, ha!

[jn122736]

It never ceases to amaze me how these family values republican folks continue to show their compassionately conservatism.

[jn122736]

make that compassionate conseveratism.

What an exibition of character.

[tibu987]

Hello!
What about the Dem William Jefferson. Caught red-handed by the Feds, on film, marked money found in the freezer.
Then, he was re-elected.
Crazy world.
The Dems had better dump him fast. And where are the Feds on this?

[goldesprit]

I almost didn't read this story--I looked at the headline and thought--if its fixed its one more problem I don't have to read about.
Then I realized that that is how we have been conditioned--if more people read the GOOD news--it could indeed become popular to show good news--and we can shake off the "we can't change" mentality that has become so prevalent in the last...7 years and more.
Bob is right of course.

[brucesmall]

I'm a life-long Republican, but I have to admit the Democrats are accomplishing some of the things the Republicans should have accomplished when they came to power several years ago. If they keep this up I just might vote for some of those Democrats.

One_American wrote:

"bluestardad:"

"Kill youself, you worthless Communist."

Hmmm, you sound like a Republican.

Do you support Bush's Iraq policies? His handling of Iraq? His War on Iraq?

Then why aren't you over there you gutless coward.

Stop letting others do the fighting for you while you sit on your fat Republican a*s.

You Republicans are nearly all the same - cowards.

Have a nice day. :-)

[fascistusa]

We're STILL in IRAQ.

LORD BUSH IS STILL A FASCIST DICTATOR.

We're heading toward CIVIL WAR.

GOOD GOING CONGRESS!!!!

[bluestardad]

mcdazz; well spoken and true

[bluestardad]

Check out this chicken hawk guys:
Is there some way to legally request Republican Third District Indiana Congressman Mark Souder excuse himself from the Votes on the Iraq War as he is a Certified Conscientious Objector with the United States Selective Service. If his moral views would not let him serve in Vietnam during war it should also excuse him from voting to send other people%u2019s children to wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

[macusweil]

"I'm a life-long Republican, but I have to admit the Democrats are accomplishing some of the things the Republicans should have accomplished when they came to power several years ago. If they keep this up I just might vote for some of those Democrats."

Sadly, it should not be about parties at all but what's best for American. Its pretty obvious the Republicans have been about GAS, Oil & Petroleum and feed their wallets for some time. The whole values things was just one huge smoke screen for looting the US treasury. Before that starving the poor to feed the rich was in fashion during RR & Bush I era. Not since Eisenhower have we had a true American hero /Republican as president.

[lieberman18]

and guess what kiddies,

IT WAS THE REPUBLICAN MEMBERS WHO PUSHED BOTOX GIRL TO MAKE IT EVEN TOUGHER ON PERKS.

She was about to present a watered down bill with a lot of loopholes for her and her friends.

Say strike one, kiddies - that is, if you can bear to read the facts.

[lieberman18]

and to echo tibu,

when will William Jefferson with the $10,000 cash in fridge be thrown in jail?

Not likely anytime soon. But don't forget to send in those letters to Princess Plastic Pelosi.
That is, if you have the integrity to do so?

Arresting *** like Ney and Foley is fine by me -but when will Jefferson and KKK Byrd share a jail cell too?

[lieberman18]

bluestardad,

where was your vote for impeaching Pervert Bill the Draft Dodger?

He sent American boys in harm's way - in Haiti, Yugoslavia, and yes, even Iraq.

And he authorized the USAF to bomb Serb civilians in Belgrade in an ILLEGAL war?

You want to talk chickenhawks, loudmouth, go ahead - let's talk turkey.

[webdepot]

LOL... this is too funny..!!!

Something must be going right for the middle class for a change, these Repugnant elephants are starting to get really vicious...

I love the way they can excuse all of Bush's and the Republican's horrendous f*ckups, but keep dredging things up from 30 years ago that are questionable at best.

There is NO compassion in conservatism... only the greed of the party GOP (Gas, Oil, Petrol).

[observantx]

I would like to point out that this is all well and good, but it%u2019s only a fraction of the problem. A few dinners and golf outings are loose change compared to the torrent of campaign cash that is being stuffed in every Congressman%u2019s pockets by lobbyists.

We need to turn the money spigot off and weld it shut to have a chance of restoring our government to any resemblance of what our Founding Fathers envisioned. That means public financing of campaigns. Everyone needs to chip in $10 on their Form 1040 and save themselves a thousand times that in waste and fraud and earmark pork. Let%u2019s have no illusions here; campaign cash from lobbyists buys votes.

Without the hundreds of thousands of dollars our congressional and presidential candidates will have to spend much less time campaigning and raising cash for campaigning. More time will be spent on actually representing the people in their districts. I%u2019m talking drastic reform here. No 527 groups, no bogus %u201Cissue ads%u201D, and no barrages of misleading ads for weeks on end. Each candidate gets the same amount of public financing to run. No private cash or contributed cash allowed.

It%u2019s the only way to bring the Congress and the White House to heel and make them public servants again instead of a bloated privileged class.

[luvny-2009]

I got it...lieberman18...the 18 is their IQ
lieberman18 I'm sorry you are so bitter that you can not even see what's happening here. You have to go backwards and find something to make yourself feel better and justify your totally moron statements. Grow up we need to get our Country fixed and fast. You are so full of hate for anyone not backing Bush that you've become a sick person.

[ademeyer]

lieberman18:

Glad you mentioned the wars Clinton fought and WON as President. How many American soldiers lost in the Serbian conflict? What was that? None? How did it turn out removing Slobodan? O, peace broke out, justice was served, America's standing raised in the world? Hmmmm...what are you doing, paving the way for a Hillary Presidency?

[kpokey]

Give the DEMS 5 days in Congress and they get more done for the people than the Republicans did in the last 6 years. GO DEMS!

[garyws1]

you gotta love the straight talk that Bob does...so many people in the media have forgotten or never learned how to do just that...or how important it is to be able to do that as a commentator...

[tibu987]

Ok Dems. Time to get rid of William "money in the freezer" Jefferson.
And why have the Feds not pursued this felony?
Let's all remember that corruption does not recognize political affiliation. There are as many corrupt Dems as there are Repubs.
Let's all do our best to rid Washington of all the slimeballs.
We voted for change and it is change "for the better" that we want.

[roger_inkart]

Comment: There are as many corrupt Dems as there are Repubs.

That is totally false.

[getcentered]

HELLO!
The Democrats have only been in power for 22 days........

and in that time they have done more meaningful things for the American people then the Republicans did in the last 12 YEARS in power.

Being a Republican doesn't mean much these days anyways. All sense of what it means to be Republican has been lost or destroyed by Karl Rove talking points about "patriotism" and "support the troops", or how about "protecting the innocent"?

Protect innocence?
NO ONE from the GOP can say anything about protecting innocence with any credibility, especially with the lives of 100,000+ innocent DEAD Iraqi civilians on their shoulders.

For those who would compare GW Bush's and B. Clintons use of the military see the above statistic regarding deaths.

What happened to the fiscal responsibility and small government mantras the GOP used to tout?

Speaking of fiscal responsibility, did you know that the war in Iraq has cost us, the American people, enough to buy gas for every US driver for an entire year, or how about 700 schools for every state!!?

[fascistusa]

THE DEMOCRACTS HAVE DONE NOTHING.

A FASCIST REGIME STILL RULES AMERICA.

WE ARE STILL IN IRAQ.

DON'T LOOK TO POLITICIANS TO RESOLVE ANYTHING.

LOOK FORWARD TO ARMED CONFLICT IN AMERICA AGAIN.

[itgranny]

I'm having a hard time here and could really use some enlightening. We keep hearing about Jefferson and the money in the freezer, Pelosi with the starkist, Kerry swiftboated, H. Clinton and a whole host of things from illegal land deals to stealing the whitehouse silver. Millions and millions of dollars have been spent trying to catch these folks on something and the only thing they could catch them on was B. Clinton getting some then lieing about it (questioning that shouldn't have been up to congress to ask anyhow). Wouldn't you think that with all the effort that's been put towards catching these folks in some sort of scandal, they'd be in jail?