Congresswoman defies Pelosi, deals with elephant in room

It's official: Laura Richardson (D-CA) is my candidate for role model of the week.

Concerns of Black House Members Helped Spur Rebuke of Wilson
By James Rowley and Brian Faler

Sept. 16 (Bloomberg) -- A plea by California Representative Laura Richardson that House Democrats respond after Republican Joe Wilson shouted “you lie” at President Barack Obama last week helped spur her party’s leaders to action...

It was “the elephant in the room that we had not dealt with,” and “I didn’t think it was OK to think it would go away,” she said yesterday in a telephone interview after the House vote.

As reported in the same article, Nancy Pelosi and Michael Steele seem to have a rare instance of bipartisan agreement.

...Noting that the South Carolina lawmaker had apologized, Pelosi told reporters Sept. 10 that “it’s time for us to talk about health care.’’

...Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele, in a statement, called the Democrats’ rebuke “a stunning example of hypocrisy.” Steele, the first black to head his party, said the Democrats “don’t want an apology. They want a side show” to deflect attention from the health-care debate.[”]

I don't have all the ground rules for the blog set in stone, but I'm seriously considering a zero-tolerance policy against Michael Steele. The above was just too silly. Your opinions welcome.