217 Cheers for Congress!

That's how many votes were assembled (156 of them from Democrats, I note with appropriate partisan pride) to put the smack down on the Saudis yesterday.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Lawmakers cheered as the House of Representatives voted on Thursday to strip financial assistance for Saudi Arabia from a foreign aid bill because of criticism that the country has not been sufficiently cooperative in the U.S. war on terror.

The vote was a stinging defeat for the Bush Administration which had strongly opposed the measure...

Good on the 60 reasonable Republicans who did the right thing, too, and, of course, my favorite independent, Bernie Sanders of Vermont. It may seem symbolic, since the amount cut was only $25,000, but it's an important symbol, and the implications extend beyond the dollar amount.

The funds were designated for military training but approval would have triggered millions of dollars in discounts on hardware and other military training, lawmakers said.

More cheers, too, for the 187 Democrats who teamed up with 82 Republicans and Bernie on a vote to bar some federal loans to companies that have escaped paying some federal taxes by moving offshore.

The minority is starting to look pretty muscular - just imagine what could be accomplished by Speaker Pelosi leading a Democratic Majority! You can help make that happen by tossing them a little financial ammunition or just signing up for the team at the Campaign for a New Majority.