Profiles in Sewage

I had almost decided to pass comment altogether on Congress' most recent dereliction of duty, since this particular act was universally predicted and virtually guaranteed. But what else is Congress good for, if not for kicking?

Yes, everyone knows that Congressional Democrats have mental blocks when it comes to unity and organization. Every now and then, however, an issue comes along -- oh, let's say, a needless, illegal war killing thousands and wasting billions -- about which voters really don't care to hear historical excuses of a Will Rogers bent. Get over it they say, in effect. Just get off your butts and get together and get it done. And don't phone home with comical excuses about your disorganized big tent of a party.

Surprisingly, we're not hearing much of that excuse this time around. That's the good news. The bad news is what we are hearing from Congressional leaders is even more insulting.

"We don’t have a veto-proof Congress," said the Senate majority leader, Harry Reid.

"The president has made it very clear that he is not going to sign timelines. We can’t pass timelines over his veto," said the House majority leader, Steny Hoyer.

Most insulting of all was the double-barreled unctuousness of Rahm Emanuel, chairman of the House Democratic Caucus -- "I view this as the beginning of the end of the president’s policy on Iraq" -- and Speaker Nancy Pelosi: "This is another stage in the sequencing of ending this war," as she moved the only meaningful stage -- "the moment of truth," as she put it -- to September.

We were quite aware that you "don't have a veto-proof Congress," Mr. Reid. But did we hear Mr. Bush cave, saying he had lost his Congressional majority?

And we were quite aware that "the president has made it very clear that he is not going to sign timelines," Mr. Hoyer. But did we hear Mr. Bush cave, saying it was clear that timelines were all that Congress was going to offer?

As for Mr. Emanuel's offensive defense, one is left slackjawed. There's spin, and there's spin. There is spin that softens a troubled stance, and then there's spin that evokes nothing but derisive laughter. The "beginning of the end of the president's policy on Iraq"? By that, Mr. Emanuel, you mean, I gather, that his policy will end Jan. 20, 2009, and Congress has begun counting the days.

Speaker Pelosi's inability to read last year's calendar, with "Moment of Truth" plastered all over "November," is too infuriatingly muddleheaded to even risk one's blood pressure on.

At least we had Russ Feingold's thoughtful assessment, which echoed the larger reality that Congressional leaders are suppressing at their party's peril: "There has been a lot of tough talk from members of Congress about wanting to end this war, but it looks like the desire for political comfort won out over real action. Congress should have stood strong, acknowledged the will of the American people, and insisted on a bill requiring a real change of course in Iraq."

If it was "political comfort" they were looking for, Congressional Democrats crawled under the wrong rock. Acquiescence to a bullheaded president prosecuting an insane war isn't likely to endear their party to anyone but the equally bullheaded and shrinking opposition. And I doubt they'll be voting Democratic anytime soon.

Which begs the question, Who will? The answer, of course, is that the Democrats are counting on American voters' famous short-term memory loss, which is just as famously known as the American small-d democratic way.

Today's big-d Democratic way? Gutlessness. Or maybe the Democrats' guts have simply shifted south, because it takes a lot of balls to be this cowardly.

Comments

[Mooser]

It takes way more guts and strength to stop a war than to start it or keep it going.
But I would have told you the same in 2001, or 1991, for that matter.

The dirtiest, most feminine, most negative,most treasonous, most cowardly word in the American lexicon is "peace".

I can hardly bring myself to type it.

[Nina]

And now we're steaming around the Persian Gulf rattling more sabers? When are the gutless democrats going to do something to remove this cancer from our midst? 1/20/2009 is way too late. We're already in trouble. The Dems obviously have chosen "political comfort" which appears to be the new catch phrase. I am thoroughly disgusted.

[Dr. Zorba]

Every week or so, PM writes one of these "a plague on both your houses" pieces. It gets tiresome.

Iraq was invaded to provide a permanent military base that would guarantee both the protection of Israel and American access to an unlimited supply of oil.

After all this grief and expense, the Corporate Party has NO intentions to abandon the fruits of armed conquest.

[ThomasMc]

America must vote the Dems back into the minority in '08. You cannot reward treason with another term.

[KEVIN SCHMIDT, STERLING VA]

Now that the Democrats in Congress have repudiated the voters repudiation, it is time for WE THE PEOPLE to exercise our Constitutional rights to assemble in Washington, D.C. and in particular in front of and around the White House, Congressional buildings, the Supreme Court and the Pentagon.

We have the right to indefinitely occupy our government buildings, shut them down, and order our representatives in the government and the military to end the illegal occupation in Iraq.

If we do not march on D.C. soon, then WE THE PEOPLE will own the war too!

This holiday weekend looks like a very good time to start our peaceful assembly and occupation to show them that they are not the boss of us, we are the boss of them!

[beamer]

a weekend stroll down pennsylvania ave. or how about a general nationwide strike? quit buying gas;turn off the friggin t.v. and talk to your neighbors...we do own this mad war machine and we can stop it in it's tracks...haven't we killed enough children?

[beamer]

a weekend stroll down pennsylvania ave. or how about a general nationwide strike? quit buying gas;turn off the friggin t.v. and talk to your neighbors...we do own this mad war machine and we can stop it in it's tracks...haven't we killed enough children?

[Just a girl]

"The dirtiest, most feminine, most negative,most treasonous, most cowardly word in the American lexicon is "peace"."

Funny, your views on femininity exactly match those extremist Muslims who probably ejaculate to the mere thought of violent death. No, no supressed homoeroticism there.

Oh, and it's also funny how the Fairer, more feminine sex opposed this illegal, murderous occupation long before the majority of "masculinity" in this country finally caught up.

There are lots of things to blame this on, but femininity isn't one of them. Don't demonize or insult 51% of the population just to make a point. That's just thilly, dude.

[Dan Kritchevsky]

"Every now and then, however, an issue comes along -- oh, let's say, a needless, illegal war killing thousands and wasting billions…"

I wouldn’t think that playing down both the human and financial costs of the war by two orders of magnitude is the way to distance yourself from the Congressional Democrats in the matter of “political comfort.”

Doesn't anyone here know how to play this game?

[Jay Randal]

Democrat leadership in House and Senate are wimp,so nothing more needs to be said about it. Besides if Bush says boo to Pelosi, or Reid,
they wet themselves.

[Jay Randal]

wimps I mean!

[Eve Nielsen]

As far as I'm concerned, Congress should just pack their collective bags and go home. They were superfluous last Congress with the rubber stamp Republicans and the Democrats are now living up to their spineless reputation once again. We the People have no representation. King George has already declared himself dictator and the Dems acquiesce - why should we pay for expensive congressional salaries?

[Larry from C]

Today, May 24 2007 America is officially a Fascist Country.

70% of the Citizens wanted an end to the Iraq occupation. Big Oil and the Military Industrial Complex wanted it to continue.
The Government aligned itself with Big Oil and the Military Industrial Complex ignoring the will of the people.

It is now impossible to separate Government from Big Oil and the Military Industrial Complex, they are one and the same.

[Larry from C]

On May 23 2007 Dennis Kucinich spent an HOUR on the House floor presenting overhwhelming evidence that Bush will not leave Iraq until they pass the Hydrocarbon law.

This is the only BENCHMARK Bush truly wants to achieve.

The Hydrocarbon law will give 70% of the profits from Iraq’s untapped oil to Exxon, BP Chevron etc. The estimate is $220 TRILLION in untapped oil in the Iraq ground. 70% of that is approx. $170 TRILLION.

Bush threatened Iraq by telling them that we will not deliver billions in reconstruction aid UNLESS Iraq agrees to the Hydrocarbon law. In my world this is called EXTORTION. This is outrageous considering we knocked down most of the buildings that need to be reconstructed.

Thank GOD for Dennis Kucinich, a man with a spine and a conscience. Dennis is LEADING while Hillary and Barack are whimpering.

[Fred Baumgarten]

Right on! I wrote to my (D) rep today and took him to task, citing Profiles in Courage (his lack, that is). I wish I'd seen yours first -- the perfect riposte.