This sort of behavior is just bizarre.

ow partisan can Congress get? Here's an instructive example from today: The Idaho Wilderness Water Facilities Act.

You've surely never heard of it. It's an extremely obscure and non-controversial piece of legislation regarding certain water uses in two areas of Idaho wilderness. It has the support of both Idaho Congressmen -- Mike Simpson, R, and Walter Minnick, D.

The bill passed the House today, 415-0. But just one week ago the House voted down a nearly identical bill by the same name, despite the fact that no one went to floor to make any arguments against it.

What happened?

The first time, the bill's lead sponsor was Simpson, the Republican, whose district is home to both of the wilderness areas in question. The second time, today, it was sponsored by Minnick, the Democrat, who faces a very difficult re-election and stands to benefit from the bill passing under his own name.

When the Republican sponsored the Idaho Wilderness Water Facilities Act, 187 Democrats voted against it, preventing it from getting the 2/3rds majority needed in the House to pass a bill on an expedited basis. Then the Democrat became the lead sponsor of the bill, and all of Democrats voted for it, allowing it to pass. [emphasis in original]

Is this how you expect mature adults to behave?

For the record, the hyper-partisans include such luminaries as: New York’s Anthony Weiner, David Obey, Bill Delahunt, vulgarian Alan Grayson and crook Charlie Rangel.

Amazing.