Alan Simpson and Grover Norquist, sans talking points, at the zoo.
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Norquist objected, saying the money should be offset by lower taxes elsewhere, and he worked with the Senate leadership to derail Coburn's plans. "We boxed them in," Norquist bragged.
At this, Simpson unholstered his disgust for special interests and their lobbyists, who often hold Congress hostage to their whims. "Everybody is playing the game of coercion, intimidation and 'If you don't do this, I'll do this.'" Simpson had brought along a pocket copy of the U.S. criminal code, which defines domestic terrorism as attempting to coerce the government. "Pull out the Patriot Act and, Grover, it says if you intimidate or coerce the Congress, you violate the Patriot Act," he said.
They were coming up on the lions--still in good spirits, all things considered. "We've never savaged each other person to person," Simpson noted later. "We've done it long range, and we will do less of that now." But for the moment, they stood watching two lionesses, Nababiep and Shera, wrestling each other on a hill, attempting to sink their teeth into each other's neck.
"I think the animals are just doing what the Americans feel like the government's doing to them," said Norquist.
"That leads to a joke I dare not say," said Simpson. And this time, he did not.