For reasons not entirely clear -- other than simply throwing a temper tantrum -- House Republicans voted present on the amendment that would add $162.5 billion in war funding to HR 2642, the shell bill that was to be ultimately be the war supplemental spending bill. The vote to add war funding failed 141-149, as anti-war Democrats voted "no" and 132 Republicans voted "present." A second amendment, a provision that would set a Dec. 31, 2009 withdrawal date for troops in Iraq, passed 227-196. And a third amendment containing a bevy of domestic spending measures, including GI Bill expansion and an unemployment insurance benefit extension, passed 256-166. The temper tantrum theory would appear viable considering that ranking House Appropriations Committee member Jerry Lewis (R-CA) had been incensed ($) that Democrats bypassed the committee process to speed passage of the bill. "Regular order is designed to ensure that the people's voices and interests are heard as serious public policy questions move through the legislative process," Lewis said. "To have the Democrat leadership cut off the people's right to be heard by such crass parliamentary maneuvers results in great harm to the Appropriations Committee and seriously undermines the credibility of the world's most admired legislative body." Last week, 177 Republicans voted to reconsider a previous (unanimous) vote on a resolution "Celebrating the role of mothers in the United States and supporting the goals and ideals of Mother's Day," (H. Res. 1113) in a bid to stymie congressional action.