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The August recess is sacrosanct — Newt Gingrich and Bill Frist certainly took advantage of it every year they ran Congress — and especially so in an election year! So let us not try to paint the picture of lazy Democrats and irresponsible vacation time. It takes a majority vote to extend the session into August.
I guess it is the role of the minority party to call for that vote to continue the session for their pet legislation that they know the majority will never allow to pass, such as drilling for oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (oil that we will sell to Japan or China anyway, as we do almost all the oil that comes via the Alaska pipeline) or off of the earthquake prone California coast.
Drilling in pristine wilderness and ignoring global climate change are folly. We need an energy plan that includes infrastructure improvements, alternative energy, conservation, and improved mileage standards. August is no time to take up this debate in Congress. Truth be told, if it came down to a vote to extend the session, few of those minority party folks would be in town for the quorum call anyway.
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