Reps. Waxman, Dingell in power-sharing deal

Incoming House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Henry Waxman (D-Calif.) and the old bull he ousted from the post, Rep. John Dingell (D-Mich.) have reached an unusual power-sharing arrangement.

Waxman will cede to Dingell the lead role in drafting health reform legislation, a major priority for congressional Democrats and the incoming Obama administration, the two lawmakers announced late Thursday afternoon.

Warmed by the increasing heat from below, the sluggish national media begins to take notice of the campaign to run the country of the Republican Party, by the Republican Party, for the Republican Party, that it might not perish from the earth (the rest of us of course can submit or go to hell). Via LA Times:

When Karl Rove and his top deputies arrived at the White House in 2001, the Republican National Committee provided them with laptop computers and other communication devices to be used alongside their government-issued equipment.

The back-channel e-mail and paging system, paid for and maintained by the RNC, was designed to avoid charges that had vexed the Clinton White House — that federal resources were being used inappropriately for political campaign purposes.

I'm watching the hearings on SeeSpam, and it seems one Republican tactic is to say that managing the reconstruction and keeping track of all that money was "too hard," and that we shouldn't be mean to Bremer, because it was a job that was just really, really tough and he's a nice guy and will you just stop picking on him already, he's going to cry!

I don't think much of this will make the TeeVee news, but there are plenty of choice quotes that Democrats seem happy to throw in various Republican faces at this point. If you enjoy this sort of squirming, take a gander. The look on Bremer's face is priceless. I'm just sorry Rummy isn't up there with him.

Let's all share a happy moment:

"I'm going to have an interesting time because the Government Reform Committee has jurisdiction over everything. The most difficult thing will be to pick and choose."

-- Rep. Henry Waxman (D-CA), quoted by the AP, on what he'll choose to investigate as the incoming chairman of the panel.

Excuse me while I go and am giddy for a while.