McKeon ‘Drill’ a Phony Attempt to Boost Image

* Those devious Democrats were at it again, emptying their bag of parliamentary dirty tricks to harass Rep. Howard (Buck) McKeon (R-Santa Clarita) every step of the way as he tried to chair one of his first committee meetings in the House of Representatives. So said a Page 1 Metro story in The Times (May 21).

For two paragraphs the story described how those bad Democrats sandbagged poor ol’ Buck, ending with the pregnant phrase:

“Point of order!” a Democrat shouts . . .

. . . then urging the reader to turn to page B3 for two more paragraphs of the Democrats’ evil deeds. But wait! Finally we were told: It wasn’t the Democrats doing a number on Buck at all but Republican stand-ins organized by McKeon’s own staff to drill the sophomore congressman on what he could expect when he chaired his first big hearing.

How unfunny, especially since the real Democrats didn’t do anything of the sort when McKeon gaveled the real meeting to order. They were in fact more than civil. What was the point of this exercise: to enhance Rep. McKeon’s image as a good ol’ country boy who means no harm besieged by a den of thieves?

Is that why House Speaker Newt Gingrich picked him to spearhead the campaign to “restructure” the federal student loan program--a move critics fear would gut, if not destroy, the opportunity for thousands of students to get a college education?

SAUL HALPERT

Sherman Oaks