Sending a copy of the article isn't a bad idea.

I thought of delivering a frozen chicken to each of my democrat senators and representatives (and Dave Camp) as a protest method, only thanks to this wonderful 'Bush Recovery' I am short on funds.

Imagine a room filled with thawing chickens... *BAWK*

I plan to print many copies of Glenn's article and send it to my elected officials (congress; senate) as well as insert a copy into any mail I receive from any democratic candidate, committee (DLC, etc) and hope that they get the message.Imagine if they receive 1000 copies (on their postage) a day of people asking, begging and demanding them to make a stand and do what we voted them in to do. I don't know about any of you, but I donated money to Dems in Ohio, Florida, Texas etc..to get a Dem congress and senate, and now I want them to pay me back by saving my country for me and my kids.

The Constitution is the ultimate client of the Attorney General and it is absolutely essential that Congress remember that and make sure the AG candidate knows it, too.

Karen

"Pompous Senatorial courtesy trumps everything"? I have seen the looks of barely veiled chagrin from congressional peers in response to the inane pronouncements of Orrin Hatch (him who apparently lives on a diet of green persimmons) and like to think there's enough active gray matter in at least a few senators' heads to preclude capitulation to his possible nomination as a replacement AG! Other names of potential candidates thrown out -- by whom? pundits? the press? certainly not beacons of sanity -- are similarly absurd. Anyone who recalls Olsen's role in the election fiasco of 2000 reCOILS from the prospect of his running any department having to do with justice! And Chertoff? The sepulchral specter from the nether world of Katrina? I don't think so. This Democrat, for one, has already spearheaded a chorus of objections to these three from email friends around the country. In sufficient quantities, gnats can be as annoying as horseflies and can move the targets of their assault to safer positions.

I’m late to the party here and I usually try to read all of the letters before posting. I only got through about the first ten pages when I saw that much of the back and forth was between Glenn and posters who, through some kind of prescience or just plain battle fatigue, seem to think the outcome is certain and that it will be bad. Perhaps they’re right.

I realize it’s hard to rationalize Democrats and Responsibility in the same sentence in the light of recent past performance; but throwing up our hands and taking solace in being able to say “I told you so” doesn’t seem to be the answer. I also don’t believe that most of those with whom Glenn has had these exchanges believe in their hearts that this is hopeless. I am certainly not prepared to accept that.

So what else can we do?

I haven’t read all of the posts so I may be repeating others here; but for starters we can certainly all advise our congressional representation of our expectations. The stakes are certainly high enough to at least be on the record with what we think is the right thing to do. A good reference point for the Democratic congress would be to share Glenn’s article with them and let them know that his recommendations regarding their responsibility should be their highest current priority. They should also be advised to prepare for a protracted fight with attendant accusations of being “obstructionist” while the AG position remains unfilled.

That means also being PREPARED to view any such tactics by Bush and his other enablers/apologists of either party in congress as opportunities to actually raise the awareness of the public to what is actually going on at DOJ and elsewhere in this government. Surely no one here who is upset at the change the country is undergoing, seemingly without opposition, doubts that it’s at least partially attributable to failure of the public to fully comprehend what is actually going on. The effect of relentless fear-mongering certainly has an impact on thoughtful reflection. If they do understand and have acquiesced, then it IS truly hopeless. If not, then they need to be made to understand. There is NO excuse for acquiescence, in my opinion, for those who DO understand. Impeachment proceedings could have provided a forum to present these matters to the public for judgment. That option is now off the table for Gonzales; but the issues are no less relevant for consideration in the nomination process for any successor.

The list of issues should be bundled into the questions at any hearing(s) and pounded on without mercy. When the accusations of obstructionism are inevitably raised, the litany of abuses and their consequences to the Constitution should be exposed again and again and again, if necessary. Perhaps Democrats can be persuaded to take the risk of possibly boring the public and being excoriated by these experts at obfuscation for the potential payoff of an “AHA” moment for their distracted and uninformed constituents. See who blinks first. I don’t think this administration really wants an ongoing discussion about why an appropriate replacement for this fraudulent AG impersonator is now so critical. Simply accepting a "forgone conclusion" is fraught with insidious potential for everything the nation claims to value if the wrong person is confirmed without a fight.

What Glenn thinks is 'more effective than marching in the streets' is exactly what he does . Furthermore, he explicitly asserts this to be true for him personally, and reserves his argumentative sarcasm for those who come to his blog to whine or wail about the hopelessness of it all, or some such other nonsense. I feel that maybe some valid questions or comments- about 'most effective' or 'only effective' tactics in combating the absurd things Glenn exposes in our government and culture- get lost in this format. At least originally some of these comments and questions are appropriate, but they often get rephrased and falsely characterized over and over until the original argument is lost- this is natural to debate, and amplified by the many voices weighing in, and on and on...