Democrats in the House wrapped up a 100 hour legislative blitz (the NYT says it was only 42 hours – we’re being short-changed already!) with a bill that would slash oil industry tax breaks and invest the estimated $14 billion saved revenue into energy conservation and alternative fuel research. Next up on House Speaker’s legislative agenda, an all-out assault on energy dependence and global warming. Over in the Senate, Dems passed the new ethics and lobbying bill, described by proponents as the most significant ethics reform since Watergate, by 96-2. The bill is similar in tone to one passed earlier this month in the House but, reports the LAT, other parts of the House Dems blitz, notably the energy bill, are likely to meet stiff resistance when it reaches the Senate. For the moment though, senators are still trying to get their heads around the Bush administration’s new secret surveillance policy. Attorney General, Alberto Gonzales wasn’t helping them any more than he had to. Talking of tight-lipped, the WPost features a profile of Vice President, Dick Cheney. Writes David Ignatius, “To outside observers, Cheney has been the political equivalent of a black hole — exerting a powerful but mostly invisible force on decisions.”