As the House Republicans continue their vacation protest, they have some sharp words for President Bush. The New York Times reports on a tart statement from Congressman Thaddeus McCotter (R-Michigan) and the Republican Policy Committee after Bush went to China for the Olympics without calling Congress back into session to haggle over energy policy: “Perhaps our Compassionate Conservative in Chief will bring our absent Democrat Congress some ‘Made in (communist) China’ souvenir T-shirts: ‘Bush went to Beijing and all I got was this lousy five week, paid vacation.”

The statement continues: “Bon voyage, Mr. Bush. House Republicans will fight on for America.” I don’t know what took them so long, and I can think of some issues where this scrappy independence was needed a bit more, but good for them.