As we wait this morning for the Senate to pass the quivering mass of Jello known as the Debt Ceiling Bill, which, barring a filibuster by the Vichy Republicans  (about as much chance of that as Lady Gaga exhibiting some talent), is a fait d’accompli, let’s review some periphery issues occurring inside the Beltway:

Politico.com reports that:

Vice President Joe Biden joined House Democrats in lashing tea party Republicans Monday, accusing them of having “acted like terrorists” in the fight over raising the nation’s debt limit, according to several sources in the room.

Biden was agreeing with a line of argument made by Rep. Mike Doyle (D-Pa.) at a two-hour, closed-door Democratic Caucus meeting.

“We have negotiated with terrorists,” an angry Doyle said, according to sources in the room. “This small group of terrorists have made it impossible to spend any money.”

Biden, driven by his Democratic allies’ misgivings about the debt-limit deal, responded: “They have acted like terrorists.”

Biden’s office initially declined to comment about what the vice president said inside the closed-door session, but after POLITICO published the remarks, spokeswoman Kendra Barkoff said: “The word was used by several members of Congress. The vice president does not believe it’s an appropriate term in political discourse.”

Biden later denied he used that term in an interview with CBS.

“I did not use the terrorism word,” Biden told CBS Evening News anchor and managing editor Scott Pelley.

Earlier in the day, Biden told Senate Democrats that Republican leaders have “guns to their heads” in trying to negotiate deals.

Last night, Former Governor of Alaska, Sarah Palin, appearing on Fox News’ On the Record with Greta Van Susteren, fired back at the Vice-President, expressing her disgust with his idiotic statement, as reported, once again, by politico.com:

Palin called Vice President Joe Biden’s hits on the tea party “quite vile.”

But Palin said “independent patriots who happen to be believers in tea party principles” are “getting kind of used to being called names.”

Still, she said, such a slur is “more appalling” coming from the nation’s second-in-command.

“Perhaps some of these talking heads and liberal politicians, perhaps they thought [tea party congressmen] were going to be just typical politicians who get into office and they change their stripes,” Palin said.

“It should not come as any surprise when they’re sticking to their principles,” she said.

Palin strongly opposed any debt limit increase, taking to her Facebook page to issue a veiled threat of “contested primaries” to freshmen members of Congress. But in the wake of the debt deal’s House passage Monday night, she acknowledged a partial victory for the tea party in turning the national conversation to spending and debt.

Nonetheless, she voiced displeasure with the concessions made to the president, and blasted the Republican House leadership.

“What happened to the pledge that our Congress has made to America, saying they would post bills online three days before they voted on them?” she said. “They’ve already broken that pledge, and doggone it, that’s what makes us disappointed in politicians in Washington, D.C.”

However, that’s not half of what “Sheriff Joe’s” been up to.  Per foxnews.com:

In between keeping Vice President Biden and his family safe, the Secret Service is also cutting him a rent check every month.

The Secret Service pays the vice president $2,200 per month to rent a cottage next to his waterfront home outside Wilmington, Del., FoxNews.com has confirmed.

The Washington Times first reported that Biden has raked in more than $13,000 since April from the agency tasked with protecting him, and under the terms of their contract could make up to $66,000 by the end of 2013.

Though taxpayer watchdogs questioned the arrangement, it may be a matter of convenience.

“Having our command post in close proximity to the vice president’s residence affords us a level of security that we wouldn’t have otherwise,” Service spokesman Edwin Donovan told FoxNews.com.

Biden’s mother used to live at the cottage before she died in early 2010. According to the Times, Secret Service agents assigned to Biden had previously been renting properties in the area, but a year later the Service approached him about renting the cottage instead.

While the arrangement is rare, Secret Service agents apparently rented property from the Clintons in Chappaqua, N.Y., a decade ago — however, the Clintons reportedly declined to accept payment from the Secret Service at the time.

So, the Vice-President of the United States  America is charging rent to the very agency assigned to protect him?  I would say I’m shocked, but I’m not.  After all, he’s a Democrat.  Look at what they pulled during the House vote on the Debt Celing Bill…the slimiest photo op in the history of American politics:

As foxnews.com reported:

Rep. Gabrielle Giffords returned to the House of Representatives for the first time since she was shot last January, making a dramatic entrance Monday night during a crucial debt vote and drawing loud applause and cheers from surprised colleagues.

As lawmakers stood on the floor, staring up at the vote board, Giffords slowly made her way through an entrance on the Democratic side of the chamber. Applause built and rolled like a wave through the House as lawmakers realized that their colleague had returned.

Shortly after her appearance, a tweet appeared on Giffords’ Twitter account: “The Capitol looks beautiful and I am honored to be at work tonight.”

On Jan. 8, Giffords, an Arizona Democrat, was shot in the head in the parking lot of a Tucson grocery store while meeting with constituents. Six people were killed and 13 others, including Giffords, were wounded. The man charged in the shooting, Jared Lee Loughner, has pleaded not guilty to 49 charges.

On the House floor, Giffords, wearing glasses, her hair darker and cut short since surgery, hugged and kissed fellow lawmakers. As time ticked off on the vote, Democrats and Republicans made their way toward her.

She cast her first vote — for the debt-limit bill — and left the Capitol.

“It means so much to our country … to witness the return of our colleague who is the personification of courage, of sincerity, of admiration throughout the country,” Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi of California told the House.

God bless Congresswoman Gifford.  I pray that she continues her miraculous recovery.

And may those who arranged this tasteless photo op receive their just reward.

But, hey..what do I know?  I’m just a Tea Party “Terrorist”.