The George Miller Animal House

The Los Angeles Times has a nice profile today of California Rep. George Miller, who--in addition to being one of the more liberal members of Congress, also runs a boarding house for other Democrats who need a place to crash during the week.

Miller is well-known among the anti-Wal Mart crowd. His office released a major study about the company's labor record. I don't think much of Wal-Mart's labor relations but Miller's study was a bit over the top for me.

But back to the profile: the person who emerges worst from it is New York Senator Charles Schumer, who seems like the roommate from hell. Check out this:

Leon Panetta, the former Democratic congressman from Monterey who lived with Miller until he left for the Clinton administration, remembers there was usually so little food in the house, he had to protect breakfast cereal from marauding roommates — especially Schumer.

"My son was interning at the State Department one year and he stayed with us," said Panetta. "The poor kid used to buy cereal to have in the house because we didn't have much food. Schumer used to eat his cereal. If there was any food around, Schumer would eat it."

"It's not as exotic as people think," Miller said of the living arrangement. "Sometimes we talk real business and a lot of times it's just politics and strategy. And sometimes it's just watching 'Law & Order.' "

When they do watch the NBC drama series, Miller said, Schumer often does not understand the plot.

"He has to keep asking you, 'Who is that person? Why did he do that? Why is she saying that?' I'm like, 'Shut up! We'll send you the tape.' "

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