[No.6]

"Can anyone help me understand how this amendment got tacked on with a gun bill, and why?"

Anyone can amend any bill with anything. (E.g., Feinstein intends to try and attach an extension of the AWB to every bill the Senate touches).

Apparently Cantwell felt that either a) attaching the unemployment extension to the firearms liability bill would hinder its chances of passing, or b) knowing that the amendment would fail, she can run around now and say "See, the Republicans are against your unemployment in the Bush Recession(tm). I stood up for you but the eeeeevil Republicans shut us down." Or something else. Either way, political grandstanding.

[LisaMalia]

Thanks for the info.

OK, I feel really ashamed of myself for not knowing this....(I need to get a Government for Dummies book...;)

HOWEVER, here is my question. You have a bill, with several amendments attached. Can some amendments pass and some not? Or do they vote on the entire bill at some point, and all amendments either pass or fail along with the bill.

And I agree, this is political grandstanding at it's best (WORST).

Thanks!
Lisa

[SunkenCiv]

*IF* that's the only amendment, they need to pass it post haste. They can then go into the elections saying one of these two things:

• my Democretin opponent opposed the extension to the unemployment bill
• my Democretin colleagues voted heavily in favor of the bipartisan 1805, as did I