Letters to the Editor
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What is the damned point?
Who cares what the Senate passes? It's a non-binding resolution with language more watered down than a blackjack table vodka and tonic. It's worthless posturing that Bush will laugh at.
Jesus H. people, if you're going to take action, take action that will have an effect: cut funding for the surge or for the entire war. Impeach the delusional simian. Don't just, as Steven Colbert said so memorably, rearrange the deck chairs on the Hindenburg.
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"The president understands that people have political concerns."
And the senators better realize that the American people have political concerns as well. They brought those concerns to the voting booth last November. Another thing the senators should understand, unlike many of them, the President will not be answering to the American people's political concerns in 2008.
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protecting one's backside
Probably the most striking thing about what's going on in D.C. right now is how *every, single politician* in the city is trying to protect his or her rear-end.
The exit from this snafu'd war is going to be an abject lesson in ass-protection, all around. From Bush and Cheney, to the lowliest house-member, all this stuff is just about protecting one's butt in front of the voters.
The truly pathetic thing is that all this ass-protection is resulting in lost lives every day..and, nearly as bad, in a way, american voters appear unable to see through it. Because if they did, our completely unprincipled politicians wouldn't be doing it.
Bush's escalation is simply a way for him to prolong the mess until he leaves office and can claim to his 30% of the public that "I didn't lose Iraq." He has no more intention of changing the equation in that country than the Sunni bombers do. He's covering his butt the best way he can.
Similarly, the rank slithering of all our politicians to try to find the "best position" on the war, and everything else, is just terminally disgusting.
Nothing new about any of it of course. I think what strikes me so forcibly is the blatant obviousness of it.
Sad. But, then, if you think about it, the american system has always worked this way. It's just more exposed than ever before. Some things about this particular system of representative democracy are better left obscure. Not any more though.
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Hey Jellyfish!
Just who are these Democratic senators "and a handful of Democrats on record in support of a somewhat milder anti-"augmentation" resolution proposed by John Warner, Susan Collins and Ben Nelson"...supporting the lily-livered resolution? We need to know who they are so we can contact them. This is not the time for meek obedient people to be in Congress. Just who are these jellyfish? I mean Bush and his cronies are NUTS..this is CRAZY...plain and simple.
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Snow said, "The president understands that people have political concerns."
It is not so much political concern that cautions the Senators who want to end the war; most do so out of concern for the lives which will be lost. Evidently the President does not share that concern as he is willing to sacrifice as many young lives as it takes to salve his vanity.
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Might As Well Be Damned for a Goat as a Sheep
Given that:
- The Republicans seem unwilling to let even a mild, non-binding resolution get an up or down vote (the Dems should remember that, next time the Republicans whine about something not getting and up or down vote) and
- Even if it does pass, the most action that even a binding resolution is likely to see from this malAdministration is in the Oval Office's bathroom (remember those signing statements? Junior regards any law he doesn't like as merely advisory)
The Dems might as well put forward legislation implementing the ISG's recommendations, including mandating talking with all parties in the area, cutting off all funds for any other activities related to this misbegotten clusterfuck. That will probably also never see a floor vote, but it will put an end to the endless "Where's you plan?" carping from the War Party.
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I know,
let's have the Dems place the resolution on the floor for a vote and then keep the vote open for , say, two years, or until they get the required 60 by arm twisting, lying, and brow beating the way the GOP did when they wielded their power ax. Turn about is fair play I say. Impeach now!
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Democracy exists only for the sociopaths
If you are for war, endless defense spending, God smiting all wicked religions and setting ablaze the Constitution, you have majority representation in Congress even if you are only 25% of the population. Democrats quake in fear of upsetting you and Republicans boldly lie and bully to server your interests.
On the other hand, if you are among the 60% of the nation that seeks a quick end to this war, believes the Constitution is always relevant, and wants the US to work in peace with nations other than Israel, Great Britain and the Mariana Islands, well fuck you. You are the "crazy fringe," you wacky 60 percent. Democrats will not let you take a photo with then lest you upset the 25% of warmongers who will never vote Democratic anyhow, and the GOP thinks you're part of al Qaida.
So I guess the lesson here is that if you want to have a representative democracy, you need to change you, because our government is impervious to enlightenment.
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Nuclear Option
Perhaps it's time for the Democrats to begin formulating some new rules for the Senate along the lines of the 'nuclear option' that they can threaten to employ by the slimmest of legislative margins and step back and listen to the Republicans whimper about how reckless and anti-democratic and disrespectful it is to so trample the rights of the minority party.
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Is this Hate?
I wonder why the Liberals and Democrats Hate the US and the military so much. does anybody have an answer?
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filibuster amendment?
Maybe now while the Repedophiles like the filibuster so much it would be a good time to protect it with an amendment to the constitution.
Or maybe revoke it for three months every time someone says "Democrat Party".
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Support the ISG Report!
Democrats are world champions at wasting advantage and power. They could end the war if they formed a solid policy, but instead Bloviator Biden and other senior Democrats are going off on their own like a starburst.
They can't stop the surge, it's already too late, but they can stop the war and get us out by supporting the Iraq Study Group Report; thanks, cwnidog, I agree completely. And doing so will make it much harder for Republicans not to come on board, leaving McCain and Lieberman, and a few other Bush lackeys, to support the fantasy.
That makes it easier to get past the Permanent Filibuster. As to that, Democrats should give a weekly Filibuster Report, and the Democratic Senate Campaign Committee should make every Republican up in 2008 answer to his/her record of stopping bill after bill after bill.
And maybe a Fristian "nuclear option" may be in order, or at least a return to the oppressive rules so recently imposed by the Republicans when they ran things.