The Obey-Lewis Feud Continues

The ever-escalating feud between House Appropriations Chairman David Obey (D-Wis.) and his Republican counterpart shows no signs of letting up in 2009.

On Monday, Obey sent Rep. Jerry Lewis a salty and sarcastic "dear colleague" letter to debunk claims the California Republican made last week in his own drafted-for-the-media missive complaining about unfair treatment of the minority party.

It would be easy to dismiss this back-and-forth as politics-as-usual on Capitol Hill, but venomous partisanship has all-but sidelined the powerful spending panel for almost two years, preventing Congress from performing its most basic function.

This latest episode echoes its precursors.
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