I'm not making this point in service of some broader aim.

It's safe to assume that if there were a "broader aim", it would be the good of the country - trite as that sounds.

As Obama keeps saying, to paraphrase, [this mess] "has been festering through Republican and Democratic Administrations, for decades" - he is right, the Bush team's incompetence is what is bringing it to the fore, for all of us to watch in amazement and repulsion.

As to what needs to be done, paying attention, and picking the right leaders is a start. Making sure all crimes are properly prosecuted soonest is also a priority. Reforming the institutions is next. And so on. It's not as if we don't know what needs to be done, or even how to go about doing it, but the awareness and determination of the American people are required. And that is a matter of collective effort.

The mess didn't happen overnight, it will take a while to clean up.

(formerly "Dounia", heads-up)

Just say Rockefeller today with Chuck Hagel on Face the Nation. According to both of them, neither one wants an independent appointed counsel. to investigate this further, but would rather want this to be dealt with by Congress instead. Joe Biden, OTOH, I believe was interviewed with George Stephanopolis at the same time and very much wants an investigation by an independent counsel.

Seems rather telling, don't you think?

I'm sure Kitt is an optimist compared to me, but have you ever considered it might be more a matter of his understanding of this phenomenon and less so a positive outlook?

No, it didn't. Kitt and Glenn and others have a lot of faith that hard steady work will fix the system. I agree with that, and try to have faith, even though sometimes I would advocate slightly more aggressive tactics, but that isn't important. What is, quite frankly, is that when I look at how much damage is out there and what needs to be done to fix it, my faith in such things begins to fail, it seems like it's too broke to fix. So I find them to be infinitely more optimistic than I, and am grateful for it.

Where's the surprise?

It has been obvious from Day 1 that Democratic "leaders" have supported torture and other outrages quite openly, what's the big surprise now?

The vote for the Military Commissions Act was not secret.

Who said anything was a "surprise?"

Nonetheless, you're right that the vote was not secret - Democrats voted overwhelmingly against the Military Commissions Act and Republicans voted overwhelmingly for it.

Liberal bloggers merely tried to hold on to their partisan bias as long as they possibly could, just like Democratic legislators.

Yet another More-Radical-Than-Thou Preacher completely devoid of solutions, but full of radical coolness and jaded omnipotence.

"Rodriguez served as military attache to the U.S. Embassy in Argentina from 1994 to1996. From 1996 to 1998, Rodriguez was CIA Station chief in Bogotá, Colombia. Rodriguez's tenure in Colombia was marked by a 1997 incident in which he apparently tried to help an associate get out of a drug-related arrest. He transferred to Mexico City in 1999 where he was the Station chief responsible for approximately 500 CIA assets operating there. Rodriguez was later appointed Chief of the Latin America Division for the Agency's Directorate of Operations.[3] In May 2002, Rodriguez assumed the post of Director of the CIA's Counterterrorism Center (CTC)."

Can we all just agree that the CIA is, among other things, the official drug importation gang for America and much of the world? And the CIA is nothing more that a criminal conspiracy which works for major corporate forces and against democracy. And they have an endless supply of "get out of jail free" cards. There is a sufficient number of yoked Demos to constitute a working majority for the CIA. Most American Presidents since JFK have been in league or defeated by the CIA. And any brave politician or citizen who stands up against them either ends up in a plane crash or being shot by another "lone nut" or caught in a sex scandal.

Until people recognize the depths of the corruption that surrounds this agency nothing will change.

i had assumed that dems were supporting telecom immunity because they are beholden to telecom money.

now i have to assume they were in on the spying as well.

In 2002 Republicans used the AUMF as a lose-lose political ploy against Democrats. Relying on the advice of their strategists, they threw the Constitution under the bus. In 2006 Republicans repeated the trick with the Military Commisions Act, and Democrats again threw the Constitution under the bus, listening to the same strategists.

This is what they do. They let Republicans do their fierce ideological ruthless partisan firebreathing to shift and shape public opinion, then let their pollsters tell them that they better roll-over for Republicans.

The 2006 election in the long-run may be one of the worst things that can happen, because I suspect it reinforced to Democrats that their strategy of acting like lukewarm Republican is effective, when in reality they one a bare majority in Congress because of the self-destruction of the most disastrous administration and Congress in US history.

Until Democrats that are elected that are willing to vote with the courage of their conscience and speak out to affect public opinion rather than to meekly capitulate to Republican rhetoric little is going to change.

The congressional Democrats were simply reflecting political reality. The vast majority of the American people were not, are not, and will never be incensed about harsh treatment meted out to the perps of 9/11. They expect the US government to do whatever is necessary to avoid a repeat of this, or even greater horrors. The radical left blogosphere remains oblivious to this reality, as they prefer to live in their own fantasy world.

the actions of Harman and Rockefeller should be contrasted with the intelligence officials who threatened that they were willing to go to jail to ensure that the NIE would be released.