They paint it as an issue of a power shift away from professional moralists such as the Family Research Council, and essentially mock their arguments defending the UIGEA as non-nonsensical and unAmerican. Gotta say I like the way this hand is shaping up, particularly as the non-poker congresspeople are starting to see the issues in play being about far more than just poker.
Says Andrew Leonard from Salon.com:
As congressional hearings go, this one gets a five-star rating from How the World Works. There were professional poker players referencing John Locke and John Stuart Mill, Tennessee legislators getting medieval on the Family Research Council, and a discussion of the odds against James Bond drawing an inside straight in \”Casino Royale.\” All this against a backdrop featuring a mighty clash between states\’ rights and international treaty obligations.