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• Thursday, December 4, 2008 05:31 AM

  In Search of an Easy Way to Clean House

  I am not a conspiracy theorist. I consider myself a generally rational person being slowly driven to irrationality by this blog. You insist on making us take brief glimpses behind the stage of Congress. Each time you do it, I become more and more convinced that what happens on stage is not our government in action, but theater designed to pull the wool over our eyes. The script and the dialogue change as actors get on and off the stage, but the ACTION of the play never changes.

  I am now convinced the Club exists. Regardless of the constant displays of disdain for each other and mock combat that goes on, I now believe that at least the Senate is mostly one of unified thought. This article, FISA, the Joe Lieberman incident, and similar episodes demonstrate that the differences between what the "Democrats" say and what the "Republicans" say is determined solely by what they think they must say to their respective electorates to remain part of the Club AND still accomplish the Club's unified goals - all taking into account the head count on the stage.

  In this particular instance, the Club believes the CIA should have some leeway. Based on what we now know about who knew what when, we must conclude that Guantanamo, Abu Ghraib, rendition, and all these similar abuses happened with the knowledge and tacit consent of Congress - ALL OF IT.

  The crazy leftwingers (count me in) believe that torture is unacceptable, period, end of story. So while the Republican script included a Bush threat of a veto, DiFi could say electorate-pleasing things like no torture, no way, no how. Now that Bush is being shuffled off the stage, that changes the "facts on the ground." I.e., no Bush veto to take advantage of. So now for the Club to get what it wants - leeway for the CIA, DiFi's script must be altered to allow for what the Club wants, without being obvious about it to the electorate. Enter subtleties, weasel words, and the ever-changing wall of absolute laws on Animal Farm.

  Congress is choking on barnacles. Put it this way - when DiFi now says that she wants that she wants to pass a law that completely bans torture, I believe that about as much as I believe George Bush when he says that we already don't. Can we clean house already? Please?!

  —El Zongo Read El Zongo's other letters
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