Bipartisanship at work in Washington

As you may have read, the US Senate passed major legislation intended to deal with the hot-button immigration question in the US. Drawing support from both sides of the aisle, the new laws, which will be signed by an agreeable President into law, are proof that no matter who we send to Washington, with cooperation and compromise, imperfect but sensible agrreements can be reached.

While this was going on, the US House of Representatives addressed the question of "emergency" funding for the continuing conflict (it has never been declared a war by Congress) in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Few people will disagree with the statement that the "sweep" of Congress by the Democrats was driven by the nation's disaffection with the prosecution of the "war" in Iraq. No-bid contracts wasting billions, poor planning, no exit strategy, not even a clear goal or definition of Victory were issues that loomed large.

When the President years ago declared his reelection filled his bank with political capital that he "intends to spend", he began singlemindedly on his mission to expand his reach and push his agenda.

The American People didn't agree, and made it clear that he needed to be reigned in.

We took that political capital from the President - who wallows in historically low approval numbers - and transferred it to Congress. We gave THEM a blank check to use in order to reign in an administration that anybody left of Rush Limbaugh viewed as out of control.

So what did they do with it? What did they do with the POWER they were given by the people to CONFRONT this ONE SINGLE ISSUE?

They found compromise on immigration, they brought home some bacon to wounded vets, they began to shift some of our spending priorities. They brought global warming and stem cell research funding to the front and concocted legislation that would force the President to show his real mean self.

But there was that war thing to deal with.

They proffered a bill that attached timelines to withdrawal of troops. The FIRST initiative since 2003 that actually reached for the tiller to try and change "course".

Naturally, it was promptly vetoed.

At that point, a craven political choice must be made.

Rhetoric and spin come from the right wing and White House attaching unpleasant baggage to the legislation. Neocon nutjobs are blaming the Dems in Congress for "denying our troops" material support. The poor soldiers will go hungry and run out of bullets to fight evildoers BECAUSE OF THOSE COWARDLY DEMOCRATS!

Heady stuff.

Naturally, a group of men and women whose single overarching mandate was to bring sanity to the asylum is not cowed, right?

They know the American people aren't such simpletons that they'd believe that spin, right?

They know that they are THERE to BRING OUR TROOPS HOME, right?

They were elected almost singly for the VERY PURPOSE of placing timelines and progress points. They were mandated to implement the Iraq Study Group's points more than they were put there for ANY OTHER PURPOSE, right?

So, the President vetoes war funding with timelines. Here's an opportunity to make a grand symbloic gesture, to place blame for the bankrupting catastrophe where it belongs. No time for Vichy-Quisling collaboration, right?

NOW IS THE TIME TO MAKE A STAND!, right?

What does this bold, political-capital-rich congress do?

It chickens out.

It's high noon in Dodge City. Sherrif Congress and the outlaw Bush stare eachother down in the street, it's showtime.

The president reaches! His gun jams, Sherrif Congress has him dead to rights!

What do they do?

"Oh sorry for your bad luck, George old Chap, here, take my pistol, it's brand new and well oiled. You can shoot me with it, it surely won't jam."

Absolutely unforgivable display of cowardice. My wingnut friends are right. The Dems have nothing to offer either. They are utterly spineless and proved it with the procedural vote that hid their votes on the actual bill, and even moreso with the bill itself.

I don't want to hear about bipartisanship and dealmaking and next time we'll really get em.

And those of you who know me know I'm not a liberal nutjob. I know that immediate withdrawal of our military from Iraq would be a disaster of monumental proportions. I have always simply asked for accountability for the failures that have occurred. The Republican Congress failed to check the President. Now the Democratic congress has too.

They failed spectacularly. They should all resign.

As a corollary, I'd like to point out to my good friends Ren and Tom Clegg that with the dramatic loss of confidence our local leaders like John Hall will confront, I bet they reach for the high profile cherries as a make-good. By this, I mean I suspect he will work overtime to close Indian Point. He's going to have a lot of disappointed people in the 19th. I can't think of what else he could do to make them happy. NYRI is a done deal as far as I can see. The other issues are big <yawns> so, there's one big one left.

Let's see what happens.

Also, I noted in the paper yesterday that Paul Newman has "endorsed" Indian Point. You guys could have made a lot of hay with that one if you hadn't ridiculed entertainers for political involvement for so long. Now talking about that would just be hypocritical!

Have a safe and thoughful Memorial Day weekend everyone. I'll be skipping the fundraiser I was considering attending.

Comments

[ren]

The Dems always were faking it. The dirty tricks & backroom deals cut to engineer the faux 2006 "housecleaning" were bound to come out and exact a blood toll, and since our entire Congress has precisely two (2) missions to accomplish, we cannot expect a third task out of them. What are the tasks? A) get elected by any means possible and B) distribute earmarks. (13,000 earmarks at last count, and rising). How about Pelosi's airplane? Doesn't it seem as if we are dissecting Columbia's corpse, and selling the bloody chunks to all and any comers?

It reminds me of Gibbons' "Decline & fall of the Roman Empire"... where the praetorian guard auctioned off the emperorship to the highest bidder, allowed him about 2 weeks in office, ( it took about 2 weeks to distribute all the gold to all the praetorians)then promptly beheaded him, and auctioned it off again, about 4 times in sequence. Amazingly, they got takers each time.

Your wishes, your beliefs, your passionate desire to right wrongs, is just cynical capital to them, with which they purchase the emperor's chair. Once in the hotseat, they gotta give money away, or get killed off. That is now the main function of the Senate and Congress. We have watched the end days of the old Congressional system. Forget representation, there is none. What exists is a cruel sham, a Tony Soprano no-show job equivalent, where manipulation reigns absolute and supreme.

So---- fear for America. It's just at this point that new outside groups begin to tear pieces out of the whole, and occupy them as a defacto right of conquest---- just as the English, French, Russians elicited "concessions" from the paralyzed Chinese empire.I believe most of the southwest is already Mexico, we just have not acknowledged it yet. I believe large tracts of the northeast are Asian territory, or Euro-Cosmo George Soros territory, already conquered, just not yet officially ceded over. Soon any military action for any reason, ever, by America will be forbidden as "evil". At that point, the Cosmos will own what had been ours. We, as "mere Americans" will pay whatever price we are told to ante up. (only dual or triple citizenship will equip the successful new-ager--- a single loyalty will needs lead only to victimhood, as "Non-Cosmo" strapped, taxpaying cattle.) Remember, the Chinese were still dreaming they were an imperial people, until 1949.

Fortunately, I will miss the last, degrading chapters.You, however, may get to enjoy them.

After years of really trying to educate people, frigging Paul Newman's face may turn the trick, and make Indian Point "good"? Are we a race of growing up Gotti Oprah-suckers? Apparently so. Dr. Phil for president. Hell, Dr. Phil for Emperor. Hell..... Dr. Phil for God the Father Almighty. I have it..... we can determine the presidency by a "Dancing with the Stars" playoff. I hate to say RFK j was ever right about anything, but creeping imbecilization seems to be our collective fate, and it looks like Entergy is getting right in the game. God bless their savoir-faire. Now they can get to provide all that clean carbonless energy, because Mickey Mouse says so.

Have you seen that "Air America Radio" is coming back on? Did they ever repatriate the $800,000 Al Franken stole, back to the minority orphans he stole it from?

[b tween]

Minority orphans in the Bronx, no less. And as I recall, a broadcasr company based out of Kingston is doing the buying.

I honestly had hope that so many first timers in Washington couldn't collectively band together to form another Government, Inc. whose accounts payable department was still run by the same people.

Disgraceful.

There was so much at stake for today and future generations that were, in my mind symbolized by this Congress' posture and stand against the President, when they rolled over, they didn't surrender, they joined forces with the moneyed elite that have sold our country to Mexico, China and Europe.
I wonder if a third party could succeed. I'm certainly not the only one on either side - many moderate republicans and most democrats agreed something needed to happen - who is just flat out disgusted by this collaboration.

Apparently you, ren, could have done a lot more damage if you'd started cartooning 3 years ago.

It really is sad.

You should do one of a group of celebs - stick Paul Newman with Lindsay Lohan, whatever Richie and Paris Hilton standing at the security gate of IP all smilingly endorsing IP. Why the hell not? Who says it needs to be true to make a difference?

Sign me disgusted, absolutely disgusted.

[b tween]

oh and another thing:

maybe a solid oligarchy is what this country really does need. Maybe listen to Friedman and let free markets do the societal regulating. Money (not dollars, mind you) is the only truly credible thing anymore. I've been saying it since the beginning: want to know the truth? follow the money.

I believe that more now than I ever have.

again, sign me Disgusted

[chuck abbate]

i emailed the dccc informing them not to ask me for another dime....the dems always find a way to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory....

[ren]

With a porous, ultra-democratic egalitarian world, it will be impossible to maintain the existing huge wealth-poverty discrepancies. Individuals gifted with information, easy travel, instant communications, will cross-colonize every wealthy area, attempting to abandon the poverty as a curse of place.This will bring the current western countries down to rough parity with the third world. Only hard to penetrate Asian bastions can withstand this planet-wide migration. So one-worldism will not be granted by a haughty, corrupt UN, generous western leftists, or a military conqueror..... It will be granted by gardeners, taxi drivers, bootblacks, smugglers and thieves.

Jesus Christ wouldda been proud, indeed!

No known credo has the positioning to uplift this migration as noble, so we are in for rough times as it happens. It will be accomplished on a deceptive, surreptitious semi-legal basis, and will cause local reversions to neo-tribal gangism worldwide. Only Tielhard foresaw this. He told us not to worry, something good was bound to come out of the era. I struggle to believe him.