Republicans call for emergency session

[babylonsister]

Republicans call for emergency session
By Jared Allen and Jackie Kucinich
Posted: 08/01/08 05:43 PM


After a day of protests on the House floor, Republicans ended their standoff with a round of “God Bless America,” and chants of “U.S.A! U.S.A!”

It was not clear when or if they intended to return.

Republican lawmakers spent more than five hours making raucous speeches on the floor of a closed House of Representatives. They demanded Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) return to gavel the chamber back into session and said they would consider asking the president to call an emergency session of Congress to vote on a Republican energy plan.

What began as an impromptu protest around noon on the first day of August recess eventually turned into a GOP pep rally on the floor of the House, which was brimming with Republican staff and interns, who cheered on the 48 members who stayed behind to blast Democrats for adjourning before holding a simple majority vote on Republican plans for drilling in protected areas.

When the Capitol Police finally closed the public galleries at 4:30 p.m., Republicans left the floor to hold a press conference, where they said they were prepared to phone President Bush and ask him to call Congress into an emergency session.

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http://thehill.com/leading-the-news/republicans-call-for-emergency-session-2008-08-01.html