There's nothing, it seems, that Democrats won't blame on "mean-spirited" House speaker Newt Gingrich. The latest example comes from Rep. Sam Farr, a California Democrat. Shortly after the death from a heart attack of his 63- year-old California colleague, Rep. Walter Capps, Farr sent a sarcastic "Dear Colleague" letter to other congressmen complaining about the hectic legislative schedule Gingrich had set. If there was any doubt about how his letter was to be interpreted, Farr settled the matter by attaching a newspaper article headlined "Farr: Hectic pace helped kill lawmaker."
Truth be told, the "hectic pace" is as much due to Democratic obstructionism as to any sort of busy GOP agenda. In fact, this session had fewer votes and lasted fewer days than most. But it's a mistake to dignify Farr's sniping with a rebuttal. Talk about "mean-spirited."