But if such a scenario has crossed lawmakers' minds, surely it hasn't risen to the level of motivation; if things ever got to that point, our democracy would truly be in peril.
The bill would also establish a broad, searchable database of all firms and individuals with business before the state — a way to cross-check lawmakers' disclosures.
And this must ideally be supported by cross-party lawmakers who put in place a credible set of policies and measures to ensure effective implementation, and hold governments to account so Paris delivers.
A group of cross-party lawmakers would oversee the vote process and a steering group would seek public submissions for new flag designs, he said.
They had the backing of President Barack Obama, Speaker Paul D. Ryan and a cross section of lawmakers in both parties and appeared destined for success.
This year, Roger Clemens, perhaps the greatest pitcher of his era, was the one in the lawmakers' cross hairs, trying to fight off questions about his alleged use of steroids and human growth hormone in testimony before a Congressional committee.
For all the problems experienced by the 99th Congress, for all the divided powers and cross pressures, the lawmakers usually found a consensus that reflected the views of their constituents.
Mr. White, a graduate of the United States Military Academy and a Vietnam veteran who rose to the rank of brigadier general before retiring from the Army in 1990, soon found himself in the cross hairs of lawmakers on Capitol Hill who questioned him about Enron's accounting, its role in the California energy crisis and his own sale of Enron stock before the company collapsed.
In a powerful break with tradition, lawmakers crossed party lines to sit Republican and Democrat, side by side, as the president addressed them.
McIntosh, who joined the House in 1992, has drawn support among the more liberal members of the Democratic caucus and from a cross-section of lawmakers from the Baltimore and D.C. area, according to people familiar with the effort.
The suit, filed in state court, contends that Republican lawmakers crossed a line when they redrew congressional boundaries in 2011, creating a map that helped Republicans win control of 13 of the state's 18 districts even though registered Democrats outnumber Republicans in the state.
