DeFazio has Smith's number

On the subject of Gordon Smith's threatened filibuster of the budget bill to protect a federal timber payments program vital to rural Oregon counties, DeFazio calls him out:

Rep. Peter DeFazio, D-Ore., noted that it's likely that enough senators will vote for cloture.

"Threatening to filibuster something where they say they already have votes for cloture is an empty gesture at best, and it's a little bit too late, now that he's in the minority," DeFazio said.

DeFazio criticized Smith for not doing enough to preserve the timber payments program when Republicans were in control. For example, DeFazio said, Smith could have extended the program in an amendment to a tax bill moving through the Finance Committee, on which Smith sits.

I wish he would have done this when he was in the majority," DeFazio said.

Don't we all.

[Oops. This was written and saved two nights ago, so it refers to events before the previous Smith post. Apologies.]