The Cat in the Hat which George W. Bush's State of the Union promises were contrasted with the Cat vowing (in part), "I can hold up the cup and the milk and the cake! I can hold up these books! And the fish on a rake!" In 2007, during the 110th Congress, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid compared the impasse over a bill to reform immigration with the mess created by the Cat. He read lines of the book from the Senate floor. He then carried forward his analogy hoping the impasse would be straightened out for "If you go back and read Dr. Seuss,
The Cat in the Hat (TV special) house they visit has a pessimistic fish who "always tries to flatten the fun". Karlos becomes angry and accuses the Cat of not being a real cat, and his hat of not being a real hat. But the Cat indignantly asserts his legitimacy by singing his name in several languages. The tune becomes so catchy that everyone, even Karlos, joins in and contributes, telling the Cat that in Russian he is a "chapka in a shlyapa". (An interesting point to note is that in the Russian portion of the song, the Cat describes himself as a "chapka in a shlyapa",