The American Spectator

Washington Prowler

(Page 2 of 2)

CONNED CONNIE br> While it makes holding the House a bit tougher, conservative Republicans long stymied by liberal colleague Connie Morella of Maryland are enjoying the way women's groups are treating the Republican congresswoman from Bethesda. Morella last week was stunned when the Maryland chapter of the National Organization for Women endorsed her Democratic opponent, Chris Van Hollen , a male state representative, instead of her. She had received NOW's endorsement in prior elections and was recently honored as woman of the year in the state by the organization. But NOW says that Morella's voting record on women's issues isn't as strong as Van Hollen's. /p>

"Morella has called herself a Republican and voted like a Democrat, kowtowed to the women's groups, and now she's getting what she deserves," says a conservative Republican congressman. "I feel bad that she's probably going to lose because she had faith in these groups supporting her, but she's experiencing what we've been saying and have known for years, that these groups only care about helping Democrats."

p> CATO RULES br> Sen. Robert Byrd has been waging a week-long war on the floor of the Senate to block the one that President Bush wants to wage in Iraq. On Thursday Byrd could be seen waving about a palm-sized version of the U.S. Constitution in booklet form, which has been published and distributed around the world by the Cato Institute. /p>

"When we pointed out that the think tank that published it was libertarian, he didn't want to bring it on the floor," says a Democratic staffer on the Appropriations Committee, which Byrd chairs. "But it was the only copy we could find in the office."

And where did they find it? "We took it from a Republican staffer's desk," says the Democrat.

topics:
Constitution, Iraq, NATO