Thread: Judiciary chair making laws, but not friends

http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/nation/3268485

Judiciary chair making laws, but not friends
Sensenbrenner's tenacity vexes both Democrats and White House
By CRAIG GILBERT
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

WASHINGTON - When James Sensenbrenner is making news, it often means one thing.

Somebody is ticked off.

photog / Chronicle
Rep. James Sensenbrenner, R-Wis., center, with House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, R-Sugar Land, left, and other Republican leaders, has about 18 months left as chairman of the House Judiciary Committee. His unfinished business includes reauthorization of the Patriot Act.
Sometimes it's him. Sometimes it's the Democrats. Sometimes it's his own side.

But to the powerful House Judiciary Committee chairman, that isn't all bad.

"It is very hard to make a difference and actually change things if you have a reputation of 'going along to get along' for everything," said the Wisconsin Republican in an interview about his event-filled chairmanship.

"People who cave too early simply because they like to see more 'smiles' end up failing at actually making the changes I think everybody who runs for office wants to accomplish," Sensenbrenner said.

Nobody would accuse this chairman of chasing smiles.

Not in June, when he abruptly ended a Patriot Act hearing organized by Democrats, turning C-SPAN's video of the incident into must-see TV for his critics.

Not last November, when he blocked a widely supported, White House-backed overhaul of the intelligence community because it didn't contain the immigration restrictions he wanted (and later got).

Together, those episodes suggest both the perils and payoffs of Sensenbrenner's leadership style. His handling of the June 10 hearing became grist for House Democrats' favorite political theme â€â€

I can’t believe they actually said that the real id would prevent illegals from getting drivers licenses. What immigration reform???