(Memo to Howard Kurtz )

Way to go, Barney. He stood up and schooled Rick Renzi (R-AZ) over his behavior. This nonsense about the NY Times is making the right wingers absolutely insane and is totally without merit.

Download -WMP Video-QT later (rough transcript)

Frank: I yield myself 10 seconds to point out yes, it's true, Ms. Pelosi was briefed in 2002 at the beginning of the program. She is not a fortuneteller.

Renzi: Whoa..

Frank: No, the gentleman wouldn't yield.

Renzi: {garbled}

Frank: Regular order! Regular order! I ask the gentleman be seated. I asked the gentleman when he mentioned me to yield. He declined to do so. For him to interrupt me without even asking for a yield is wholly outside the rules of the house and I ask he be instructed in them...

Renzi: {garbled}

Frank: I will yield to the gentleman exactly as he yielded to me. No.

The Speaker Pro Tempore: The gentleman from Arizona will suspend. The gentleman from Arizona, please suspend. please take a seat. The gentleman may proceed.

Frank: The gentlewoman from California, Ms. Pelosi was briefed at the outset. The other gentleman from California--as I was briefed- after it was about to be made public.

Rick Renzi (R-AZ) got this started, made a false claim: "Nancy Pelosi was properly informed. Ranking member of the Intelligence committee [Jane Harman] - properly informed. Harry Reid, properly informed."

Pelosi on the resolution:

"Let me read what it says: 'This resolution finds, that the terrorist finance tracking program has been conducted in accordance with all applicable laws, regulations, and executive orders, that appropriate safeguards and reviews have been instituted to protect individual civil liberties and that Congress has been appropriately informed and consulted for the duration of the program and will continue its oversight of the program.'

Continue its oversight of the program? There's never been any oversight of the program. The fact is that because there has never been any oversight of the program, there isn't one person in this body, who will vote on this resolution, who can attest to this statement. They're asking us to vote on something that we absolutely cannot attest to. Not any one of you can attest to this as a fact, because it isn't a fact. "

(h/t Marion for the transcript)