Letter from Washington

WASHINGTON, ON THE COUCH, TUNED TO C-SPAN, 12:01 a.m. — It's getting on past midnight here in the cradle of democracy, where it appears the partisans have taken hold of Rep. David Price's moment in the sun and cast a long, dark cloud across it.

Ten hours into the debate on the 2008 Homeland Security spending bill (which, by the way, is a relatively non-controversial piece of work likely to pass a full House vote later today or Thursday just fine), and the talk is not about border fences or airport screeners, but about hidden earmarks, shirked responsibility and which political party cares more about the American People.

Republicans threatened to stall the appropriations process. And they have.

To keep reading, N&O reporter Barb Barrett's letter from Washington, click below.

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There are boos and hisses and applause floating across the aisle, and the acting chairman refereeing the late-night gathering, Democratic Rep. Barney Frank of Massachusetts, has gone from gentle taps of his gavel to resounding bang-bang-bangs.

"There will be order in the chamber!" he hollers after overruling a misstep by Republican Rep. Virginia Foxx of North Carolina and handing the floor to a New York Democrat.

On the official House schedule, this was about Homeland Security.

Price, a Chapel Hill Democrat, managed the debate for hours Tuesday because he’s the main man behind the Homeland Security bill. As chairman of the subcommittee, he made major decisions about how to best to spend $36 billion.

Alas, the wee-hours debate goes on.

And it's about earmarks.

Republicans are upset that the Democrats won’t say which earmarks — those district-specific spending projects loved by many folks back home — will be in the 12 spending bills until the bills are through the House, through the Senate and headed for closed-door conference committees.

This, Republicans say, goes against the Democrats' campaign pledge of openness. The American People expect transparency, they say.

Democrats, in return, fire back that the GOP-controlled Congress never got around to passing most of the spending bills last session.

Those arguments have been made over and over again in the past few hours.

A staffer sitting behind his boss is yawning on national television, blinking his eyes wide. Voices have become rough.

Price seems fresh as ever, having lost the nervous stutter he had Tuesday afternoon at the debate’s inception. Mostly he’s sitting quietly and letting Obey, the full Appropriations Committee chairman, handle the flak.

On the House floor, it's a parliamentary free-for-all.

"For what purpose does the gentleman from (name a state) rise?" Frank bellows.

A Republican answers, "I move to strike the last word."

This, C-SPAN reports, is a parliamentary turn enabling the member to gain five minutes of speech even though debate time has expired.

The Republican gets to talking. The minutes expire. The member makes a "motion for the committee to rise."

That's another parliamentary move, a protest effort requiring a 15-minute recorded vote that comes out the same every time. Republicans lose.

It's past midnight and the House is on Motion to Rise No. 5.

Another member rises.

More words. Another motion to rise.

Foxx neglects to yield her minutes back to another Republican and a Democrat from New York skips to the podium and the GOP erupts in boos when Frank recognizes him.

"Mr. Chairman, it is..." begins the congressman, Anthony Weiner.

Boos. A raised point of order. A denial by the gavel.

"Mr. Chairman, it is..." Weiner tries again.

Another protest. Another denial.

At 12:05, Weiner, jabbing his index finger in the air, says, "We are prepared to stay here all night."

A commentator on C-SPAN is talking about the GOP delivering a "full arsenal of floor weapons" on the bill.
A Republican from Michigan is quoting Ralph Waldo Emerson.

Minority Leader John Boehner of Ohio is saying, "I think that working after 10 o'clock is not in the best interest of our nation."

It's 12:36 a.m., and Obey is explaining that Republicans will know the district-by-district projects in the bills in plenty of time before the bill becomes law, saying, “We get to see yours, and you get to see ours.”

And yes, they’re still talking about earmarks.

Motion to rise No. 7.

The C-SPAN clock ticks down the 15-minute vote. Price is sitting alone near the front as House members wander around him.

Motion to rise No. 8 comes at 2 a.m.

Adjournment arrives at 2:10. Yawns all around.

This morning, they’re back after daybreak, eyes shadowed by exhaustion. The gentlemen and gentleladies are on the House floor again before noon, taking on the dozens of amendments.

Is it about Homeland Security? Sort of. But the talk is about earmarks.