"No one's life, liberty, or property is safe while the legislature is in session." - Mark TwainAfter laying the groundwork for a decisive vote this week on the Senate's health-care bill, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi suggested Monday that she might attempt to pass the measure without having members vote on it.
And if Mark Twain were alive today, he wouldn't know where to begin.
Instead, Pelosi (D-Calif.) would rely on a procedural sleight of hand: The House would vote on a more popular package of fixes to the Senate bill; under the House rule for that vote, passage would signify that lawmakers "deem" the health-care bill to be passed.
Cool! Bait and switch!