Parting Shot

Now that Washington has closed the door on the 109th Congress, I think we're really going to miss one former lawbreaker... er, lawmaker. While she didn't accomplish much for her once loyal Georgia constituency, Rep. Cynthia McKinney certainly did provide us all with plenty of laughs and good memories with her inspirational service in the House.

Although she publicly despises Republican President George W. Bush, Ms McKinney was well known in DC for arriving early to the halls of Congress for State of the Union addresses and any other occasion when the president was on hand to address the Congress, and procuring a seat right on the aisle in order to take every advantage of getting her picture taken with the commander-in-chief.

She has hosted numerous panels on Sept. 11 conspiracy theories and suggested that Bush had prior knowledge of the terrorist attacks but kept quiet about it to allow friends to profit from the aftermath. She introduced legislation to establish a permanent collection of rapper Tupac Shakur's recordings at the National Archives and calling for a federal investigation into his killing.

But it was her scuffle with a Capitol police officer that drew the most attention. McKinney struck the officer when he tried to stop her from entering a congressional office building.

In what has become the expected response from this grand lady of politics, the race card was played to the fullest effect, and she was never indicted for the act.

Much to her chagrin, Rep. McKinney was unable to play that same race card when she found herself ousted by Georgian voters earlier this year. For the first time in her career she faced another black Democratic candidate, and the voters jumped at the chance to replace her.

But true to form, Ms McKinney left her former colleagues with as much class and panache as she entered their presence -- with a parting shot only she would dare to deliver.

In what was likely her final legislative act in Congress, outgoing Georgia Rep. Cynthia McKinney announced a bill Friday to impeach President Bush.

McKinney ... has long insisted that Bush was never legitimately elected. In introducing her legislation in the final hours of the current Congress, she said Bush had violated his oath of office to defend the Constitution and the nation's laws.

The legislation has no chance of passing and serves as a symbolic parting shot not only at Bush but also at Democratic leaders. Incoming House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., has made clear that she will not entertain proposals to sanction Bush and has warned the liberal wing of her party against making political hay of impeachment.

Luckily for all of us, Ms McKinney is -- as always -- much more interested in seizing the limelight than being a team player, so Speaker (that title still rankles) Pelosi's warnings bore little weight to this lame duck.

We'll miss you, Cynthia!