Welcome to Today’s
…‘Washington Weasel’ winner ~ rookie Rep. Keith Ellison!
Smoking has become the hot topic on Capitol Hill.
…And in the latest installment, staffers for Rep. Keith Ellison tattled to Capitol Police that Rep. Tom Tancredo was smoking a cigar inside his congressional office.
“We already have the biggest air-purifying unit you can get, and I would be happy to try to make sure that it’s even less odiferous around here, but I’m not going to stop because we still have the right to do so,” Mr. Tancredo, Colorado Republican, told The Washington Times.
An officer investigating the report informed Mr. Ellison, Minnesota Democrat, that smoking is allowed in the private offices, the Hill newspaper first reported yesterday.
Calling his office in the Longworth building “our own little castle,” Mr. Tancredo said he would have preferred a personal visit from his next-door neighbor.
That would have been neighborly ~ the polite thing to do, even. What ill-mannered, pissy little people ~ I’ll bet there are some noses out of joint now and not from the smoke. 
Politics | tree hugging sister | 
February 15, 2007 12:50 pm
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Well, when did anyone ever expect civility and manners from a democrat or a muslim? What is his official statement regarding the proper role of muslims in government and does he have a preferred method for melting skyscrapers?
Pulled pork sammiches. Mmmmmm…
I would have invited him over for a beer and some babyback ribs.
Of course, what also jumps out to me about this story is the typical Congressional hypocrisy: they outlaw smoking in all place for us, but allow themselves to smoke in their offices.
(And I’m not a smoker and I LOVE the fact that I can go to restaurants now and not come home smelling like some stinky chimney)
I remember when the smoking nazis first got started back in the mid 80’s. The CO of MAG-13 was my friend’s dad, Col Hearney, call sign “Horse,” I believe, and later the Assistant Commandant of the Marine Corps. He enacted the new fad of banning smoking in government buildings, starting with the Group headquarters building. It seemed such an odd thing to do at the time. I can’t recall if it was a federal law or he was ad libbing. In either case, he was the CO, it was his building, and that was that.
That’s not the memorable part. The memorable part is that the Group Executive Officer was a chain smoker and refused to comply, but didn’t want to get caught. It was a running gag throughout the Group how he stuffed towels under the door, opened windows, and snuck his cigarettes when the boss was out.
In related news, Triumph the Comic Insult Dog called Ellison “a very nice young man – for me to POOP ON!” Then he invited the junior representative to a tailgate party at the next Broncos home game. “It’s great: beer-boiled brats, pork rinds, Coors Light – you know, real food.”
There’s a problem with cigars in Washington, D.C.?
Paging Bill Clinton! Paging Bill Clinton! Cigar handling expert required for Congressional staff squabble!!!