VOTING BLOCK
Rep. Tom Davis, head of the NRCC, cast a vote on Thursday to make it harder for Republicans to maintain control of the House. The District of Columbia is moving forward with a lawsuit that argues denying statehood to its majority-black population violates the Voting Rights Act. When DC Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton proposed removing a ban on the use of federal funds to pursue this litigation, Davis joined 14 other Republicans in supporting her. The final House vote ended in a tie--214 to 214, with 5 not voting. This means the amendment failed, but it was close.

And a strange vote for Davis. Granted, as a member representing part of northern Virginia, he has to deal with DC matters on a regular basis--and a friendly vote on the city's behalf can make sense for his constituents. But this was hardly a free vote. Every one of them counted. If the lawsuit succeeds--a remote possibility, but still a possibility--the House will gain an extra Democrat (and the Senate will gain two). As chief of the NRCC, Davis is supposed to fight this sort of thing.

In addition to Davis, the pro-DC statehood Republicans included usual-suspect defectors such as Tom Campbell and Connie Morella. One surprising vote, however, came from Steve Largent. Remember, last fall he wanted to be Majority Leader. If DC gets statehood, maybe someday in the future he'll have a chance to become Minority Leader.

BAUER POWER
The headline of a July 30 "Bauer for President" press release: "Bauer Has Full Travel Schedule Next Week." Well, whoop-dee-doo. So does the Rogers family. They'll be visiting the Smithsonian on Monday, the FBI on Tuesday, Arlington National Cemetery on Wednesday, the Capitol on Thursday, and the White House on Friday. In fact, they may be getting closer to the Oval Office than Gary Bauer.

VETERANS DAY
The Descendants of Mexican War Veterans, a small Texas-based organization, is looking for a member of Congress to sponsor legislation allowing the construction (privately funded) of a memorial on federal property honoring those who served the United States in the Mexican War of 1846-1848. Visit the group's website at http://www.dmwv.org/ or email them at editor@dmwv.org. Sample legislation is available.