GOP Fools on the Hill

Republicans in the House seem intent on making absolute fools of themselves.

In a feeble attempt to embarrass new Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a few young members sought to prevent the use of a military jet to fly her nonstop to her home district in San Francisco.

It developed that the sergeant-at-arms in the House, not Pelosi, had recommended the plane, for security reasons.

Then White House press spokesman Tony Snow, usually a model GOP partisan, issued an emphatic OK and said it was much ado about nothing.

Further checking by the GOP instigators would have revealed that former GOP Speaker Dennis Hastert had use of a jet to fly him to his district in Illinois.

Case dismissed.

Then a veteran Republican who should have known better, Rep. James Sensenbrenner of Wisconsin, questioned Pelosi's establishing a new committee on global warming.

Sensenbrenner demanded she talk about the economic consequences of reducing toxic gases in the atmosphere.

Where has he been? A distinguished group of scientists only recently made it abundantly clear: Global warming threatens the environment. Guess that news didn't air in Sensenbrenner's office.

The highlight, if you want to call it that, in Sensenbrenner's career was his hellbent drive to impeach President Clinton. As chairman of the Judiciary Committee, he proved to be a party toady at every turn in that case.

A little over one month into the change of power on Capitol Hill, and Republicans are struggling at the loss of power. In charge for more than a decade, they are finding it difficult to be the loyal opposition.

One suggestion is to think things through before trying to malign the nation's first woman speaker.

Pelosi will make mistakes and have to answer for them. But in overreaching to intimidate her, the GOP looks only petty.