A Capitol staffer posted in the Speaker's Lobby observed Democratic leaders rushing in to the House chamber from their closed-door huddle on Iraq, and he seemed amused as they voted and returned to their meeting.

As reporters commented on Speaker Nancy Pelosi's hurried pace and other leaders' refusal to take questions, one noted the Democrats were trying to figure a way out of the "mess" of the war. "Or they are just figuring out where to bury Anna Nicole," the staffer chimed in.

-- Christina Bellantoni, Capitol Hill correspondent, The Washington Times