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DA>I'm not trying to defend Brooks. I agree that Stockman is the better
DA>Congressman and I supported him. I'm just trying to give you the
DA>rationale for supporting Brooks instead. I'm not even trying to claim
DA>that it was the correct strategy because, as things turned out, it
DA>wasn't. What I *am* telling you is that Capitol Hill politics is
DA>Byzantine in its complexity and it's very difficult to predict the
DA>eventual outcome of any strategy.
DA>BTW, I can think of one way things could have been worse with Schumer.
DA>The committee chairman can add things to a bill, as Brooks did with a
DA>grant to his alma mater, and it will be found out only by accident. Just
DA>imagine what would have been in the Crime Bill if *Schumer* had custody
DA>of it.
DA>___
        Dan, you make a very valid point many of us tend to forget.
        Although a straight grassroots issue can occasionally influence
        things on the hill; most of the time, you need ten years of
        experience just to figure out how things work. National (or even
        state) level politics is a game requiring a lot of experience
        and knowledge these days. A lot of the maneuvering and fighting
        is conducted far away from the floor; and the votes are usually
        based on work done long before the event. It shouldn't be that
        way, but it is; and we need to get better at playing the game.
        Ernie P.
___
 X SLMR 2.1a X I was born free; I WILL die free.
--- Maximus/2 2.02
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