One of the consolations of defeat is watching your opponent cope with the difficulties of victory. The Democrat majority on the House promises to be a somewhat uneasy one, with Speaker Pelosi determined to keep a lid on the leftist imperatives demanded by the senior leadership.

For many years, Rep. John Conyers has annually submitted proposed bill HR 40 — concerning reparations for descendants of former slaves.  The bill number is related to Gen. W T Sherman's supposed promise of 40 acres and a mule to freed slaves.
 
Now that he chairs a committee and is in the majority, he will be in an interesting spot.  It's unlikely that Nancy Pelosi will welcome the kind of spotlight debate on this bill would create.  But at the same time, Conyers would have a difficult time explaining this to his eagerly awaiting slave descendants.

Paul Tholfsen   11 11 06