Breaking News: The Democrats Basically Shut Down the Senate Today

Those of you who routinely read my blog -- all thirteen of you -- know that Senator Pat Roberts has been on my shit list for quite a while. See here and here for my most recent criticisms of this particular senator.

The reason I don't like him is that last year, Roberts and his Senate Intelligence Committee decided to defer investigating any BushCo Iraq intelligence manipulations until after the 2004 election, and then decided to basically do nothing on this important issue when Bush was reelected last November. This pissed me off to no end.

Well, it turns out that Harry Reid and other Democrats in the Senate aren't all that happy with Roberts either. Reid just invoked a rarely used procedural rule and has effectively shut down the Senate! CNN has an early report on it here:

Democrats forced the Republican-controlled Senate into an unusual closed session Tuesday, questioning intelligence that led to the Iraq war and deriding a lack of congressional inquiry.

"I demand on behalf of the America people that we understand why these investigations aren't being conducted," Democratic leader Harry Reid said.

Taken by surprise, Republicans derided the move as a political stunt.

"The United States Senate has been hijacked by the Democratic leadership," said Majority Leader Bill Frist. "They have no convictions, they have no principles, they have no ideas," the Republican leader said.

Reid demanded the Senate go into closed session. The public was ordered out of the chamber, the lights were dimmed, and the doors were closed. No vote is required in such circumstances.

Was it really a political stunt as Frist claims? Absolutely -- and a damn good one. Frist looked like he was mad enough to chew neutronium.

The timing of all this was, of course, spectacular. Bush obviously hoped to take America's mind off the Libby indictment with, among other things, his major bird flu announcement this morning, and the Democrats certainly trumped him on that. It was Rovian.

Way to go, Democrats. You made me proud today.

More on this later.

UPDATE: Kos has these observations:

So let's see what we have here --

Democrats showing leadership and fight. Very nice. Democrats creating a media narrative around Republican stonewalling of a real investigation into pre-war intelligence. Also very nice. Republicans getting a taste of things to come if they initiate the nuclear option? Very crafty.

It was indeed a very crafty move. As Kos also pointed out: "Republicans whined that this was a violation of Senate tradition. This coming from the gang that wants to eliminate the judicial filibuster."