Shelby: Tie Us Down, We Love It!

Curious comment from Sen. Richard Shelby (R-AL) after the President's Grrrrrr-eat Society speech:

"It's also a big commitment on the part of the president, and he's committed to Congress, even perhaps tied us down to doing more than some people wanted to do—not more than I wanted to do, but more than some."

Refresh my memory: Are the senators employees of the president, or part of some other branch of government?

Some of Shelby's fellow Republicans appear less inclined to view President Bush's request as a command, which is potentially good news for America, but shows why Katrina continues to be a loser both ways for the GOP: Bush's outlandish promises show the Republicans don't have anything going on philosophically, and the guaranteed-to-be-underwhelming followthrough will show they don't have anything going on practically.