The house democrats had a problem last Thursday morning. They wanted to mock Speaker Newt Gingrich for his infantile outbursts by bringing giant baby bottles to wave on the House floor, but the local Price Club store that sold the props didn't open until 11 a.m. Never mind that the federal government was also closed, and that most Americans were blaming both parties for the mess. There were important matters to debate in the people's chamber. Such as: was it permissible, under the rules of the House, to display a blown-up image of that morning's New York Daily News with the front-page headline "CRY BABY"? The parliamentary question was put to a vote, and Republicans protected their speaker's honor, 231 to 173. The tabloid, depicting a diapered Gingrich, was ceremoniously removed.
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