Potent Cast of Characters Departing Congress

By Thomas Ferraro

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - They feature an elderly former Olympian who still rides a motorcycle, a female voice from the 1994 "Republican Revolution" and a stately looking southerner who once called a political foe a "skunk."


Say good-bye to these and other one-time power brokers and deal makers, along with some of the more colorful characters ever to walk the marble halls, who decided not to run for reelection on Tuesday and retire from the U.S. Congress.


Farewell tears are limited.


Sen. Zell Miller's fellow Democrats are happy to see him go. The crusty conservative has routinely blasted them while backing Republican President Bush, including a fiery speech at the Republican National Convention and continuing on the campaign trail.


Departing lawmakers left a mark, often with sparks.

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story2&u=nm/election_congress_faces_dc

Nightlatch Campbell is a disgusting sellout who assuredly really helped Native Americans by being part of the lockstep fascist caucus in the Senate since his ridiculous turncoat maneuver. He also helped ensure that the Rethuglicans' Plane-Crash Senate Majority would continue - - if he hadn't switched, we'd at least be power-sharing even with the tragic losses of Carnahan and Wellstone.

That brings me to good old Zell, who turned an opportunity for the Democrats caused by Coverdell's death (I felt sorry for the man, but you know what kind of people we're dealing with here) into a long nightmare that is finally ending. Isakson is actually more to the left than Miller ever was. Good riddance, you senile, angry old fool.

I'm glad to see former "rising star" Jen Dunn on her way out, along with that goober Nethercutt.

Weird fact: I met Nickles when I was about 12 years old, along with several other members of Oklahoma's Congressional delegation. Incredibly nice guy. You can never tell.

Thanks to Bob Graham and Dick Gephardt - - may they have new executive jobs shortly, and I don't mean with Halliburton.

Fellow Democrats should line the isles and give him a 21 spitball salute, right up the back of the head.

See you in Zell!

as payback for his role in getting a tax break for their ceiling fans imported from China (part of the recent corporate tax boondoggle).

Source: http://www.pbs.org/now/transcript/transcript342_full.html - scroll down to end for Moyers commentary

The sorriest excuse of all for a Senator.

im-potent - they kept saying "I'm impotent on Capital Hill" or was that "I'm important on Capitol Hill"?