Over furious Republican objections, the House of Representatives passed contempt citations against Harriet Miers and Josh Bolten for their refusal to testify in front of House committees. Republicans threw every procedural tactic in the book to stop the vote, including finally walking out in protest.
But tempers really flared when a GOP representative called for a dilatory procedural vote in the middle of a memorial service for Rep. Tom Lantos (D-CA). Apparently, House Democrats had called the chamber back into session but had promised no votes would be cast until the service was over. By calling for the vote, members of both parties had to abandon the service while dignitaries were still speaking. Republicans say that Democrats knew that they would continue obstructing the bill whenever the House was in session, and thus brought this on themselves. Democrats rejoined that with no votes scheduled, the GOP should have shown a little respect and simply waited 20 minutes before resuming their obstruction.