As if it's not bad enough we have to deal with Evan Bayh and his posse of Blue Dog Democrats in the Senate.
A handful of conservative Republican senators "have made it their duty to review practically every amendment -- major or minor -- that passes through the Senate chamber, much to the chagrin of many Senators and staff who feel the self-appointed legislative gatekeepers are overstepping their bounds," Roll Call reports.
The concerns of Sens. Tom Coburn (R-OK), Jim DeMint (R-SC) and, to a somewhat lesser extent, John McCain (R-AZ) "have become so ubiquitous that one Appropriations subcommittee included all three of their offices on the form that committee Republicans use to clear amendments to the bills" even though none of them even serves on the Appropriations committee.
http://politicalwire.com/archives/2009/07/13/trio_accused_of_obstructing_senate.html If I had a penny for every time I heard the Republicans call Dems obstructionist in the past eight years, I'd have a nest egg sizable enough to get me through the current Bush economy. Now these three decide it's alright to whip out the procedural moves on the Dems once they're in the majority.