But I fear that the administration will use delaying tactics to run out the clock. Their "home free" is in just 18 months. I could be mistaken but it seems to me the only option that blocks this administration from stone-walling Congress till they're out of office is impeachment.

I agree with much of what CarolynC says. This delaying and obstructing dance that the Whitehouse is conducting can only be successful if the Congress allows it to be successful. I hope Congress understands that this very inflexible policy by the administration stems directly from Cheney's opinion that the Executive Office lost too much ground under both Nixon and Reagan, when Congress reacted to severe abuses by both presidents. It is a clear as can be that Cheney will fight this new Congress every inch of the way due to this fundamental belief on his part. His position is carved out of stone, due to his personal experiences in past administrations, and his constitutional beliefs regarding the very definition of what the Executive is. And have no illusions that this is somehow not coming from Cheney. Bush is simply riding on the bus in this regard. Cheney is driving.

Put in a very creepy but I believe very accurate way,

Cheney = Jeff Skilling

Bush = KennyBoy Lay.

Congressional half-measures and symbolic gestures are meaningless and laughable in this context, and only further entrench Cheney's rock-bottom-low contempt for the legislative branch. Remember his words to a leading senator on the very floor of the senate--"Go fuck Yourself"--think about that for a long minute and understand what that means.

And, if Congress fails to rise to this very clear challenge, they absolutely deserve Cheney's contempt, and ours.

Here is what has happened to the more important things:

In its first 40 hours, the new majority of the House of Representatives kept their promise to voters and passed legislation -- increasing the minimum wage for the first time in a decade, empowering Medicare to negotiate lower prices on drugs, cutting interest rates on student loans in half, revoking big oil subsidies and using the money to invest in renewable energy -- that provided a down payment for a new direction for this country.

These bills are overwhelmingly popular, and are simply common sense reforms. Yet every one of them -- and many more -- got held up in the U.S. Senate.

Conservatives boast about the "success" of their strategy in discrediting the new majority. As Senate Minority Whip Trent Lott, R-Miss., put it, "the strategy of being obstructionist can work or fail. So far it's working for us."

How is it working? It's dragging the reputation of the Congress down to the level of the failed president. Conservatives lie in the road of progress and then complain that nothing is moving.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/robert-l-borosage/expose-the-obstructionist_b_54413.html

The notion that the Congress can't forcefully address this Executive branch because this will somehow diminish the huge volume of progressive legislation--"more important things"--is either a)delusional or b)intentionally misleading the public.

The old bumpersticker protest needs to be rewritten: "If you're not outraged by this Democratic Majority, you're not paying attention".

They are obstinately turning away from their legitimate and necessary powers and acting in concert with the Administration to simply run out the clock with NOTHING resolved.

Yes. Absolutely right. But why is Congress intentionally not using the power they clearly have?

I can ONLY assume that the Dems do not want to strip the President of the dictatorial powers he claims...because they want those powers...

There's where I part company with you. I believe the Congressional Democrats have their eyes firmly fixed on the '08 election--particularly on the senate races. Yes, they want a democratic president, but they want a real, operational majority in the senate just as badly. And they rightly see they have a good chance to get it--as you mentioned.

They are therefore avoiding anything that might possibly negatively impact the '08 results. The Iraq funding bill vote was a good example of this. They are determined not to give the republicans and their media anything that might hurt the upcoming election.

Impeachment, like the Iraq funding bill, is something they fear the Republican noise machine would use. They fear the media could spin up enough hype on an impeachment that it could hurt Dem. chances. In other words, Boxer, many other Democrats, and even some leftosphere apologists, are lying--to us, to themselves, or both.

If the above is true, and I believe it is, it leads one to the very sad and depressing conclusion that not only to the majority of republicans disrespect the constitution, but the majority of democrats do as well. I mean "disrespect" in the sense that they no longer feel obligated to follow and uphold it. They speak their oaths of office, but these oaths have become nothing more than meaningless ritual.

The challenge, I suggest, is to use the approach outlined by FDR many decades ago when he had someone in the oval office pestering him to do something that he really wasn't too excited about doing. "Make me do it", he advised them.

It will take more than big numbers in national polls to bring impeachment. The democrats will have to be forced to do it.

Let's all beat up on the Democrats, or Dumbocrats as Tempus calls them. Man! With friends like you guys, who needs Republicans. Keep it up, guys. Good work.

Classic case of Party Uber Alles: The Democratic Version.

I'm smarter than that and have too much respect for myself and enough integrity to not compromise my fundamental principles.

I truly congratulate you on the above. By the way, which Anonymous am I speaking to? We've had so many lately.