August 5th, 2008 by Bob Schwartz
It sounds like House Leader Nancy Pelosi is already laying some groundwork for a possible cave on offshore drilling before the November election.
Pelosi: At Risk Dems May Back Drilling
But what looks like intraparty tension on the surface is part of an intentional strategy in which Pelosi takes the heat on energy policy, while behind the scenes she’s encouraging vulnerable Democrats to express their independence if it helps them politically, according to Democratic aides on and off Capitol Hill. (emphasis mine)
The Politico article doesn’t make any predictions as to whether a vote will eventually occur but if one does this would just be another in an ever growing number of examples proving that most Democrats have no backbone.
Is it asking too much for Democrats to take a philosophical/political position and then stick to it?
August 3rd, 2008 by Bob Schwartz
You may remember from from a month ago when retired general Wesley Clark wondered aloud about what part of John McCain’s military experience actually qualified him to be President. Clark’s comments came on Face The Nation in response to the McCain talking point at the time about Barack Obama’s Presidential qualifications. Well fast forward to John Kerry this morning on Meet The Press.
For some reason out of the blue Tom Brokaw asked Kerry about Wes Clark’s comments and he almost on queue became the latest to throw Clark under the bus:
Yeah, I, I don’t agree. I don’t agree with Wes Clark’s comment. I think it was entirely inappropriate. I have nothing but enormous respect for John McCain’s service. I had the privilege of standing with John McCain in the, in the cell in Hanoi when we visited there together, when we worked on the issue of Vietnam together. It was an emotional moment. I,
I have awe for John McCain’s experience as a prisoner of war, and he, and he does understand duty and service. But…
What is it that makes folks like Kerry, whom should have an understanding of this issue as well as anyone, throw his fellow Democrat and veteran under the bus like that? Especially since the comments in question by Clark are valid and have never been answered by McCain?
I’ll say it again for the hard of hearing like John Kerry, it’s not McCain’s service itself that was being questioned by Clark, it’s about what part of that heroic service that qualifies him to be President!
Unfortunately the lack of understanding by Democrats like Kerry and others on this will likely mean that one of the more qualified VP candidates will not be considered by Obama for that position and that’s a shame.
July 31st, 2008 by Bob Schwartz
In Washington the answer to that question would seem to be, when it is committed by someone in the Bush Administration and when prosecution would depend on the Democrats going forward with charges.
When President Clinton got a hummer in the oval office, the Republican’s had no problem trying to punish him at every turn but when our current executive branch approves illegal spying on US citizens, the Democrats instead give those responsible a “get out of jail free card”. When Rep Dennis Kucinich tried to get hearings for impeachment going in the House, he is instead given a few minutes to vent in an “Executive Power and Constitutional Limitations” hearing with no chance of it making it to the House floor for a vote (not that it would have gone anywhere anyways).
The latest case of contempt revolves around former Bush puppeteer Karl Rove’s blowing off of a congressional subpoena to testify in front of the House Judiciary Committee. Instead of showing up like he was legally bound to do, the committee stared at an empty chair with Rove’s nameplate in front of it while Rove hopped on a plane for a trip overseas.
So here we sit again with the ball in the court of the Democrats. The House Judiciary Committee recommended 20-14 to hold Rove in contempt but has not themselves cited him for contempt, instead recommending that the House bring it to a floor vote. Nancy Pelosi apparently has not decided whether or not she would even allow it to come to a vote but if she did it would probably never go anywhere because the Democrats have allowed the Bush Administration to gather so much power they could quash it anyway.
What will happen next is unclear. The next step usually would be a vote by the full House of Representatives, but the House is scheduled to adjourn for its August recess this week, and Speaker Nancy Pelosi has not confirmed that she will bring up the citation for a vote. Even if she did, and even if the full House voted to hold Rove in contempt, the next step would not be clear either. Once the full House approves a citation, the U.S. attorney for Washington, D.C., is supposed to bring it to a grand jury, but President Bush has already directed the U.S. attorney not to do so in a case in which executive privilege has been invoked. (emphasis mine)
If anyone wants to tag the current Democrat led Congress with anything, not doing something to take back some of the powers grabbed by the executive branch during the past 7 years would have to top the list. Bush and his cronies have done more to blur the Constitutional line drawn between the branches of government than anyone in our lifetime and because the Democrats have no backbone, they will likely end up getting away with it.
Quite a legacy for all involved…
UPDATE: Well knock me over with a feather. A District judge has ruled that the “Untouchables” in the Bush Administration aren’t as immune to subpoenas as they claimed. What will the Democrats do next?