Not Like We Have An Economic Crisis Or Anything

The economy is in shambles. Real estate prices continue to plummet, foreclosures are rising, jobs are disappearing and manufacturing and finance giants are going to Congress hat in hand. While the Republicans seem to be saying it'll all go away if we just wait a few months, the Democrats on Capitol Hill have been busy trying to stop the bleeding. If you think, however, that the Democratic sense of urgency has anything to do with civic duty, NBC has some news for you:

On the February 11 edition of MSNBC Live, NBC News White House correspondent John Yang reported that the House and the Senate are "trying to get an agreement" on the economic recovery bill, "perhaps as soon as this afternoon, so they could vote on the compromised conference report by tomorrow. That would be incredibly quick action." Addressing anchor David Shuster, Yang added: "But, David, all politics is local, as you know. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi [D-CA] has a congressional delegation trip to Italy scheduled to leave on Friday, and of course, the speaker's maiden name is D'Alesandro, and she would dearly love not to miss that trip." However, Yang gave no indication that he contacted Pelosi for a response, nor did he note that Pelosi has repeatedly said that Congress will stay in session through the recess if necessary.[emphasis added]

Yang seems to think that all good Americans whose ancestors came here from somewhere else run home to the Motherland every chance they get.

This despite Pelosi's own statements on the matter:

"If we don't have a bill before the Presidents [Day] recess, there will be no Presidents [Day] recess. ... We are not going home without an economic recovery package."

I suppose after eight years of responsible leadership the press is entitled to a little cynicism. We could, however, do without disingenuous speculation in times like these.