Letters to the Editor
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Yep
Good essay, Glenn.
Right on target.
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Good Ideas
You have some good solutions in there. One thing you didn't mention was that after the subpoenas you suggest, the NYT's ideas should be carried out. If the investigations get the media attention you suggest, then there will be more public support and therefore political support for the New York Time's plans.
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Glenn
And that, in turn, is true because Senators, including large numbers of Democratic Senators, remain petrified of challenging the President in any meaningful way on national security issues generally, and are particularly wracked with fear when it comes to trying to limit those powers which are "justified" in the name of Fighting the Terrorists. Before any of these measures can be pursued meaningfully, media perspective and public opinon on these matters need to change.
Um. No. They are not afraid, they are not petrified, they do not tremble at the Majesty of the King. Why keep repeating this canard?
Glenn, too many of them agree with the policy prescriptions of the White House and its neo-connish minions. They have always agreed with those policies.
In other words, too many of the Dems (and practically all of the Rs) in Congress long ago abandoned the Constitutional Rule of Law, and they are not inclined to return to it now.
You will not hear Dem presidential candidates raise the issues you raise at all, ever. You will hear the isolated Dem Senator (Feingold, eg) and/or Congressmember (Kucinich, Lee, some others) raise those issues, but note just how marginalized they are. They are not at all afraid to speak out -- bless their hearts -- but their words generally aren't heard because they get no play outside their own constituencies or as "fringe lefty" views to be denounced and mocked on FOX.
Trouble is, their "fringe" views reflect the majority and the mainstream of American Public Opinion.
You wouldn't know it to read the Broders and all the other High Pundits, or to read the "news" in the New York Times, but there you are.
The Problem for Nancy and Harry and those gung ho committee chairs eager to issue their subpoenas is that they will be undermined and hamstrung by a significant minority of their own Party who have declared that they will vote with the Rs to prevent anything from interfering with the policies the White House has adopted regarding defiance of the Rule of Law. It's not just that no legislation will pass. They can't even get agreement within the caucuses on a way forward, and some very heavy hitters within those caucuses are and remain the sticking points.
But it ain't fear.
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Now or never
Glenn, you're absolutely right. With the Democratic grip on the Senate tenuous at best, and the next election only two years away, we need to convince Nancy Pelosi and the Democrats in the lower house that the best possible campaign strategy is to open as many investigations as there are committees to conduct them, and to be as confrontational as necessary in pursuing them. If congressional Democrats don't succeed in focusing the public's attention on the underlying Constitutional issue, no amount of glad-handing in their districts will help them much.
As for the DLC and DCCC, we need to grab them by the earlobe and drag them along. We also need to guard Howard Dean's back. If Rahm Emanuel, James Carville and the Clintons have their way, the public debate will be stillborn, and regardless of the outcome of the next election, our fate will be sealed.
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since we've been told it's off the table, it's left to the states to do something
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=3306204828992560646&hl=en
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A superb point, as usual
This is a real plan of action. Thanks and congrats!
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Hear, Hear! for Hearings
Indeed, we have already seen the power of such hearings to shape the media narrative and public perception, whenever a general called before Congress said something that deviated from the White House official line.
I am concerned about Gonzales' recent statement, however, that he has better things to do than respond to subpoenas. Congress can call them, but I think you're overstating a bit when you say it can "compel" them to testify. Or, rather, the force that Congress can bring to bear is the force of the public discourse, not the direct force of compelling testimony. This administration will flat out refuse to testify before Congress if need be, will order executive branch officials not to testify, will tell flat out lies, refuse to respond to requests for information, etc. They will do all of these things because the already have done all of these things. And, if Congress subpoenas folks from the V-P's office, for example, and Cheney says "No," and it goes to the courts, and Cheney still says "No," we are then confronted with the real difficulty: Congress can order something, and the courts can order something, but it is the Executive that has the power to execute whatever is ordered. This Executive's lack of respect for the law cannot be overcome by appealing to its non-existent respect for the law.
Therefore, we should be clear what the benefits of hearings would be. As you say, Glenn, its the bright lights and television-friendly drama of it all that matters. This is a media war right now. That's why the blogs have been so important over the past 5 years. The left has begun to seize the means of narrative production. We need to keep right on seizing them.
An important post.
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So what's the solution?
Thank you for the ovw Glenn.
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Che Pasa, assuming you're right, er, correct. What can be done?
What must be done? Don't see Hilary as an agent of change. What
about Obama?
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The Lesser of
many, many evils is preferable, given a choice. Better for Bush and Cheney to kill and otherwise bother the poor people of the ME. If that amusement is taken from them, they will simply turn their Army on us, the citizens of the US. As bad as I feel for the Iraquis, better them than my family.
The Armed Forces have collected and encouraged every sociopath (who they make officers) and psychopath (ranks) they could dredge up.
Keep them far away from us, for as long as we can, is my request.