You stay classy, Pioneer Pelosi:

House Democratic leaders and protesters waving McCain signs had a war of words Tuesday at a press event outside an old train station. The demonstrators interrupted House Speaker Nancy Pelosi with chants of “Drill here! Drill now!”

Pelosi paused and asked the group, “Right here?”

Seeming to enjoy the back and forth, she followed with another question: “Can we drill your brains?”

She went on to refer to the protesters, who continued to chant sporadically, as “handmaidens of Big Oil.” Arguing that increased offshore drilling would reduce gas prices by only a couple of pennies a decade from now, she referred to the demonstrators as the “2-cents-in-10-years-crowd.”

Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer swiped at the demonstrators, too, saying that “sophomoric chanting” won’t solve the energy crisis and that “all thinking Americans know” — stressing the word “thinking” and looking at the crowd — that America doesn’t have a quarter of the word’s fossil fuels yet uses a quarter of the world’s energy.

When you don’t have anything intelligent to add, what do you do? Name call and use insults, the preferred tactics of liberals everywhere!

On a tip from Robert Bluey

George Stephanopoulos grills Pioneer Pelosi on why she won’t allow a straight up-or-down vote on drilling. Enjoy watching her squirm:

Hat Tip: Hot Air

Cindy Sheehan’s famous hunger strike included coffee, ice cream, and Jamba Juice smoothies. The hunger strike was so effective, that Michelle Malkin was able to gain weight when she jumped on board!

But, alas, the Code Pink wackos never give up.

Well, at least until they get hungry, and then they can run merrily over to Jamba Juice and get some blended strawberries, mangoes, or whatever else kind of smoothie they want, because that’s how real hunger strikes work and all.

This time though, they don’t even seem to know what exactly they’re protesting:

“Code Pink, a national grassroots peace movement inspired by Bay Area women, organized the protest to call for an immediate end to the war in Iraq and immediate impeachment proceedings against President Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney.

Protesters walked from the bridge to the Pacific Heights home of Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., set up camp, cooked one last carbohydrate-heavy meal and began a hunger strike. About 40 gathered on some terraced steps near the senator’s home, along with a half-dozen police officers.

“We have about eight people who are going to stop eating, including me,” Code Pink spokeswoman Nancy Mancias said.

On Wednesday, the group plans to relocate the hunger strike to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s home on Broadway, where they will urge the San Francisco Democrat to hold a town hall meeting with constituents.

Code Pink leaders believe both lawmakers should be doing more to bring the troops home and to rally other Democrats to call for an end to the war.

“Feinstein voted for the war spending bill, and even though Pelosi didn’t, she’s not doing enough to convince others to join her,” Mancias said.

…Their hunger strikes have drawn worldwide attention. In summer 2006, the group was invited to meet with members of the Iraqi parliament in Amman, Jordan, to discuss diplomacy.”

So… they’re having a hunger strike to get Nancy Pelosi to meet with constituents? That’s it?

These loonies have hunger strikes for everything, but — surprise, surprise — even though almost none of their goals have been met, they are all eating! I mean, we’re still in Iraq but I haven’t seen one Code Pink moonbat keel over from starvation yet.

As John Hawkins notes at Right Wing News::

Do these Code Pink loons even understand the whole concept of a hunger strike? You don’t just, not eat for a few days, or eat smoothies and ice cream for a few days, like Cindy Sheehan, and then start eating again even though your demands aren’t met. You’re supposed to withhold sustenance from yourself until you get what you want or keel over dead.

Stupid Code Pink hippies — they practically protest full-time and they can’t even do that right.

You know, maybe this is just a method to try and lose weight for them. It could be the new fad diet: the Protest Diet! Find something that pisses you off and say you’re going on a hunger strike to end it. Don’t eat for a few days, lose five pounds, and then quit, all the while making yourself seem like you really, really care.

Considering the moonbats are so fond of not eating, why don’t they just become Catholics? We fast all the time, especially during Lent. But then, they wouldn’t be able to make themselves feel all important and influential that way, so I guess that’s out, too.

Silly, silly Democrats. Do they really think they’re going to get away with stuff like this without it getting out? Even if no one in the House talks, there’s something called CSPAN — remember? And stuff like this always gets out, especially if it’s been videotaped.

Eric Cantor explains what happened:

High drama on the house floor tonight. Dems brought an Agriculture appropriations bill to the floor greatly expanding government programs, yet again. Republicans moved to recommit the bill to committee, in order to add language prohibiting any taxpayer funds under the agriculture programs from going to illegal immigrants.

The Democrat chair closed the roll call when Republicans had won – as the electronic voting tally indicated enough votes to return the bill to committee. Shouting erupted on the floor, as the Democrats attempted to change the outcome of the vote after the gavel had come down – the vote was closed.

Republicans attempted to adjourn, but we were ruled out of order. Confusion set in as members waited at least five minutes for the chair’s decision.

Republicans members then began to leave the floor in protest, after Democrats proved they would go to whatever lengths necessary to further their agenda. A bad call by the chair, the vote was closed. Then the Democrats allowed their members to continue voting to change the outcome. An outrage. Is this a democracy or a dictatorship?

All but a few Republicans refused to vote on final passage since it became obvious that a fair vote would not happen.

UPDATE:Republicans are conferencing this morning after the travesty that occurred last night on the floor of the house. The overwhelming sense of the members is, we have to stand up and reject the democrats manipulation of the rules of the house to further their attempts to thwart Republican efforts to stop government benefits from flowing to illegal immigrants. Republican house members are demanding that democrats right their wrongs.

That is SO ethical! Pioneer Pelosi is right. Most ethical Congress ever.

The Politico has more:

Details remain fuzzy, but numerous Republicans argued afterward that they had secured a 215-213 win on their motion to bar undocumented immigrants from receiving any federal funds apportioned in the agricultural spending bill for employment or rental assistance. Democrats, however, argued the measure was deadlocked at 214-214 and failed, members and aides on both sides of the aisle said afterward.

One GOP aide saw McNulty gavel the vote to a close after receiving a signal from his leaders – but before reading the official tally. And votes continued to shift even after he closed the roll call - a strange development in itself.

Whatever the final tally, acrimony quickly exploded between lawmakers on either side of the aisle as Democratic leaders tried to plot a solution, while parliamentarians on either side argued over protocol.

Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer (D-Md.) eventually offered a motion to reconsider, according to floor staff on either side, ostensibly giving members a chance to recast their votes. But the maneuver sparked a chorus of angry protests from the Republicans, yelling “shame” on Democrats, while they returned fire with angry volleys of their own.

When Democrats finally moved to consider the spending bill as the last vote of the night, furious Republicans left the chamber en masse to protest the maneuver. The House eventually recessed at 11:18 p.m. But Republicans quickly discovered that there was no longer any record of the controversial vote and immediately charged Democrats with erasing the bad result.

Best part of all?

It was caught on camera. All of it:

Here’s Eric Cantor reacting on the floor:

You know, are the Dems really this arrogant? It seems they must be. I mean, you’ve got them publicly admitting that they want failure from Iraq because it would benefit them politically, and now you’ve got Pioneer Pelosi’s most ethical Congress ever using strong-arm tactics to cheat on a vote, all of which is caught by videotape and aired on CSPAN. I mean, are they idiots? Their approval rating is lower than George Bush’s (and that’s saying something!), yet they keep acting as if the American people are too stupid to catch onto what they are doing! It’s the damnedest thing I’ve ever seen! I mean, how much more blatant can you be? At least attempt to hide your bullshit. But, in their arrogance, they don’t think they have to.

And the vote the Dems so furiously wanted to defeat? It would keep illegal immigrants from getting taxpayer funding in the agriculture bill.

Man, they sure do love America, those Dems.

As Kathryn Jean Lopez noted, is this a democracy or a dictatorship?

You read right — straight from Madam Speaker Pioneer Pelosi’s website:

Here’s a close-up:

Notice the “CANADA” in gold lettering on the patch on her shoulder? That’s because it is a Canadian officer:

Admiral (Adm) or General (Gen)

On the cuffs, one broad gold horizontal stripe; on the epaulets, four small gold maple leaves in a diamond pattern with crossed swords and a crown above. Unless written otherwise, all epaulets have “CANADA” in gold lettering on the epaulets on the part nearest the sleeve.

Is she that dense that she couldn’t figure that out before she made it live on her website? She honestly couldn’t tell the difference between a Canadian officer and an American one?

Oh well, she’s Pioneer Pelosi — above all criticism!!

Hat Tip: Qando