To re-iterate the cliche, this election was a referendum on George W. Bush's policies. With the Democrats wresting control of the House by two dozen seats, I think it's safe to say the people have spoken. Mr. President, this is what “a mandate” really looks like. The Senate at this moment is undecided. James Webb and Macaca Allen are in a dead heat, which begs the question, how deranged do you have to be to vote for George Allen over Jim Webb? The fact that Allen got 12 million votes boggles my mind. Who are these people?
Starting in January, the Democrat House has a lot of work to do. The Iraq policy must be changed in the most immediate way. Fiscal responsibility needs to be re-instituted. Immigration, education, health care and the Medicare drug boondoggle, habeas corpus and the torture bill, energy policy and foreign oil use, stem cells, taxes and the deficit: the neglect on these important issues has crippled us for decades. Nancy Pelosi, while not necessarily my favorite legislator, is so much better than what the Republican had to offer that we have cause for hope.
For me, this election is about something bigger. Something more fundamental. This election is about subpoena power. This administration is the most corrupt and secretive in memory. The cynicism of Nixon's White House has been institutionalized and perfected under Bush and Cheney. Nobody puts it better than Billmon:
-- the collectivized bribery of the K Street Project, the Abramoff casino extortion ring, the Defense and CIA appropriation scams, the Iraq War contracting scams, the Pacific Island sex trade protection racket, the church pulpits doubling as ward halls, the illegal wiretapping, the lies, perjury and obstruction of justice in the Plame case (I really could go on like this all day) -- and it's clear that what we need most isn't a new Congress but a new RICO prosecution, with lots of defendents and unindicted co-conspirators.
There's probably not much that can be done on that score, even if the Dems take both houses of Congress today. Oversight hearings and subpoenas to appear are all well and good, but what we really need to see is a heap of good old-fashioned law enforcement. I want to see the Rovians testifying in courtrooms, not hearing rooms.
Only by gaining access to documents and testimony under oath can the the American people learn how the government's power has been used. No-bid contracts, Pentagon spending corruption, misuse of military personnel are all now open for inspection. Let the sun shine in.
The Democrats will have 24 months, a virtual sprint, to get the process rolling. Nothing would warm the cockles of my heart more than seeing Turd Blossom Rove, Darth Cheney and Incurious George sweating it out in House hearings trying to explain what the hell they have been doing the past 6 years. I'd really like to know.
3 comments:
Yeah, but you may not want to hold out hope for actual investigative hearings. Several Dem 'leaders' have indicated that they support more of a focus on 'the future' as opposed to 'the past'. We'll see if the Dems really have what it takes (and if they can overcome the likely blow-back from the mainstream media and the Gang of 500) to do the jobs they must do, and that our country needs them to do.
Huf
Interestingly, in an interview Nancy Pelosi did back in the summer, she noted that the most important aspect of taking control of the House would be... subpoena power.
Madame Speaker to be (Oh how I love those words), has struck a conciliatory tone since Tuesday (which is more than I can say for George "Mandate" Bush two years ago). That said, in the last few days, I have repeatedly heard her say that while she wants to get things done in a bipartisan fashion, she will not neglect her responsibility of oversight. She addressed this very artfully during her post-lunch-with-the-president media briefing.
As regards this oversight responsibility, she has said that most administration officials have in the past elected to cooperate with the legislative branch as they go about their investigations. In the event that this administration should chose not to do so voluntarily, then, she said she had the power of subpoenas at her disposal.
This evening, I heard Murtha (who may be soon embroiled in a leadership struggle with Hoyer) say exactly the same thing: Hello Subpoena power, if they do not cooperate.
In the Senate -- which is now in Democratic control (because the Dems got a spine, the people woke up, and the Repubs self-destructed) -- I heard Harry Reid also take a conciliatory tone. That said, Reid will benefit from the fact that Frist and the power-hungry GOP stripped the opposition of almost all its powers (except the filibuster) under their tenure. Now, Frist and his rabid GOP cronies will be the victims of those very power-grabbing moves.
As a resident of the red state of Texas, I know all about how political karma can come back to slap those drunk on power into sobriety. Good old Tom Delay's completely appalling gerrymandering plans (which partially is the cause of his indictments) resulted in Democrat Nick Lampson being redistricted out of power. It is divine justice that as Delay prepares to keep his criminal posterior out of jail, his own district Texas-22 is now going to be represented by none other than Lampson himself.
Likewise,the Texas Republicans wanted to oust my Democratic state representative, Hubert Vo, from his democratically-won seat in 2004, by passing special legislation to invalidate his electoral win. I am not kidding -- they wanted to do this because they claimed it was a close election and they ached to hold on to absolute power (authoritarians at heart). But they failed because of legal ruling. Now, in 2006 Vo was re-elected resoundingly. Another slap in the face from the electorate awakening from 6 years of fear-based slumber.
I mention this because eventually, these "leaders" -- and I use that term in an interpretive sense -- will be brought to account.
While not exactly residing under the rubric of subpoena power, there are some nice benefits to being in the majority again. Of particular interest for me is the appointment of that lunatic John Bolton as UN Ambassador.
It always struck me as profoundly arrogant that the Bush administration would choose someone who spent much of his career denouncing that international body in the most vitriolic language to be our representative there.
FYI: Bolton famously said that it would make no difference if 10 floors of the UN building in NY disappeared off the face of the earth. This, from the same lunatic who was part of PNAC -- that cabal of idealogical freaks who orchestrated the notion of invading Iraq.
Knowing that UN-hater Bolton was unlikely to be confirmed by the Senate (even then in Repub hands), Bush made a recess appointment. Now, a day after he promised to work with Democrats, he has sent Bolton's nomination back to the Senate for confirmation.
Maybe Bush hopes this can be done before the Dems get official control. But incoming FR committee chairman Biden has said in no uncertain terms today that Bolton's nomination will never be passed. No equivocating there... Should Bush attempt to get Bolton approved before the lame duck session ends, he will not be helped by outgoing GOP Senator Chaffee who said he could not vote in favor. Chafee -- the only Republican I was sad to see defeated on Tuesday night. I hear he's contemplating leaving the GOP. I say it is about time.
Completely off topoc...
A Note to Chaffee: Come to the other side, Linc, we're the "big tent" party and we'll welcome you. Or go the Bernie Sanders or Lieberman route. But don't leave politics -- you a decent man in a place that tends to corrupt people and you kept your soul. We need your voice!
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