I am confused. If you aren’t, you haven’t been paying attention.

Going back to my remarks yesterday about Bill Ayers, I recall that he first felt success when the home made bomb went off in a bathroom at the Pentagon. But then he realized that it made little difference. A pipe bomb in a Pentagon bathroom was not going to end the war in Vietnam. So, there must be a better – and a very different – way.

Maybe Matt Gaetz will find out something similar to what Bill Ayers discovered. Yes, you can plant a pipe bomb in the House of Representatives and destroy the Speaker of the House, but soon you will realize that it makes little difference. Eight of two hundred twenty one Republicans can make a lot of noise, but they can’t change the course of this 118th Congress of the United States.

But you live by the rules, and you die by the rules. The current rule gives one person the authority to make a motion to vacate the Speakership, and the authority to force an immediate vote. My guess is now that the rule might be changed – but until then, it is what it is.

Similarly, the rule allowing the vacation of the Speaker’s position also says that there will be a Speaker pro tem until a new permanent Speaker is elected. I didn’t know how that provision would be implemented. And then I heard that Rep. Patrick McHenry of North Carolina was being appointed as Speaker pro tem. I wondered how that happened. It certainly wasn’t part of the vote.

Then, I heard there was another House rule, a House rule that requires anyone elected Speaker to provide to the Clerk of the House the name of a number of persons who, in case of death, disability or removal of the Speaker, would act as Speaker pro tem until a new Speaker could be elected. And I heard that, upon his election in January, McCarthy gave the Clerk the name of Patrick McHenry, and others, and – to my real surprise – the names given were kept secret, released only yesterday. I wonder what the purpose of that secrecy is. And I wonder why there should be a rule that gives a Speaker the right to choose his successor, if his successor becomes third in line for the presidency.

That brings up a few things that I still don’t understand. If there is a Speaker pro tem, are there any limits on his authority? I don’t know if anyone knows this for sure. Yesterday, I heard (a) that the Speaker pro tem can do anything that the Speaker can do, and (b) that until there is a permanent Speaker, the House basically can do nothing. Which is correct? And – speaking of presidential succession – does a Speaker pro tem become third in line for the presidency, or does he not? Many people have opinions – but does anyone know?

Again, from what I heard last night, it seems that the House may not be in session for the next week. It may be that committee work and the like will continue (or not), but apparently the House itself will be in recess. Is this necessary? Is this the choice of the Republican caucus? Or is this the choice of Patrick McHenry?

Normally, who cares of the House is meeting or not for a week. But now, we are in the midst of a 45 day period during which the appropriations bill must be signed or another CR must be passed or the government will (you know what comes next) shut down.

You and I are not members of Congress, so I can’t quote Walt Kelly. But I can paraphrase him. “We have met the enemy, and they are them”.