This shows you the level of maturity exercised by Republicans in Congress:

Rep. Michael Oxley, outgoing chairman of the House Financial Services
Committee, shouted in outrage at a closed-door conference of House
Republicans last Tuesday in protesting a reform barring from the House
gymnasium former congressmen who become lobbyists.

Oxley, who is not seeking election to a 13th term, is expected to become
a lobbyist. He was more restrained on the House floor Wednesday in speaking
against the reform, which also bans lawmakers-turned-lobbyists from the
House floor. But he voted against the measure. He resigned as chairman of
the gymnasium committee, effective immediately, when the reform passed 379
to 50.

View complete article

here.

He blows his lid over not being able to use the gym after leaving office?
These are the same assholes that can’t understand why people get upset when they
want to cut troop and VA benefits. Yup – you can go fight and die for our
country but it is ok to take away from those benefits but don’t touch the
benefits of Congress.

Oh and Novak includes an interesting footnote on this:

A footnote: Former Majority Leader Tom DeLay surprised colleagues when he
voted against the leadership-backed proposal.

Delay voting against lobbying reform is a surprise? You got to me kidding me.
Delay is one of the biggest lobbying whores in Washington and possibly going to
get indicted over the Abramoff scandal. The surprise would of been if he voted
for it.