In 1920, the story goes, movers and shakers at the Republican National Convention had a private meeting in a room on the eighth floor of the Blackstone Hotel in Chicago to choose Warren G. Harding as the party's nominee. As the meeting ended and the men came drifting out of the room, so did a cloud of cigar smoke. The Associated Press dispatch said this: "Harding of Ohio was chosen by a group of men in a smoke-filled room." Thus was a political cliche born.
Guess we'll have to get a new one now. House Mommy Nancy Pelosi has banned smoking inside the House. That makes smoking outlawed just about everywhere in Washington -- except in House members' own offices. Wouldn't want them to have to go too far in following the same rules everyone else must obey.
Henry Waxman displayed a sense of humor about the whole think I wasn't aware he had:
Now, Mr. Waxman was asked, could he eliminate the phrase “smoke-filled room”?
“I don't have the power to do that,” he replied. “I only have the power to investigate clichés.”
Comments
Leo, why are you referring to Nancy Pelosi as "House Mommy"? Do you have a problem with women in power? Did you ever refer to the last speaker as "House Daddy"? Enough said......
As for smoking, people who want to continue smoking should do so at their own risk, not anyone else's.
I can't speak for Leo, of course, but I read his "House Mommy" crack as a direct reference to Pelosi instituting the smoking ban in the House, a rather maternalistic move, if you will.
Perhaps someone (ahem) needs to grow her skin a wee bit thicker.
And she would like to make George Bush go to his room without supper.
I'd settle for timeout if he'd just go away long enough to stop screwing everything up...