Courage Makes A Majority

Quick Rip of (Vice) President Dick

OK, we all know that this administration has taken the phrase "executive privilege" to new heights.  Everything done by this White House is done in secret, unless telling the secret provides some political gain to them (think Valerie Plame's outing).

We also know that many people believe that Dick Cheney is really the De facto President, making the White House tick behind the scenes, while "W" takes all the hit for being an idiot.  It's the classic technique of a pick pocket.  Have some big ruckus or slam into a person's chest (that would be bush in this analogy), while the thief gently reaches into your pocket and steals your wallet (Cheney). 

Well, at least Cheney is now on record as claiming his back door presidency.  Get this, a lawyer for the vice president has argued the public has no right to the list of people that visit the Vice President in his official residence.  His argument states that those logs are privileged under the Presidential Records Act.  So apparently, the VP must think he is the P for him to assert this BS in trying to quash a FOIA request . 

Reminds me of the great Robin Williams quote from Good Morning Vietnam..."Excuse me sir, but if the VP is such a VIP, shouldn't we put the PC on the QT, otherwise he could end up an MIA and we would all be put out on KP."

Only 599 days left of this administration.  Unfortunately it will take a couple thousand days to undo the damage.

Does the President Ever Look in The Mirror?

President Bush gave a speech yesterday in Georgia on the latest attempt to pass immigration reform.  Now, I will say, I am closer to the president's position on immigration than I am on his position on National Security and the War on Terror.  This is one issue that the president actually uses some logic (I can't believe I just said that) to explain his positions.  He is for creating "a path to citizenship" for the undocumented immigrants already in this country, as well as, creating a guest worker program to provide our economy with the laborers needed to help it function efficiently.  While I think immigration should be made easier (the idea that undocumented workers should leave to come back and have to pay a fine is unreasonable), at least this bill provides a way to make citizenship happen. 

But the merits of the immigration legislation is not the reason for my post.  I read some of the comments made by the President and just had to shake my head.  I really couldn't believe some of the things he was saying.  Here are a few gems:

"A lot of Americans are skeptical about immigration reform, primarily because they don't think the government can fix the problems, and my answer to the skeptics is: give us a chance to fix the problems in a comprehensive way that enforces our border and treats people with decency and respect. Give us a chance to fix this problem. Don't try to kill this bill before it gets moving"

The President and his party are on record many times over...Government is not a solution to problems, Government itself is the problem.  So which is it Georgie?

"Those determined to find fault with this bill will always be able to look at a narrow slice of it and find something they don't like.  If you want to kill the bill, if you don't want to do what's right for America, you can pick one little aspect out of it."

"One little aspect"...you mean like waivable benchmarks for Iraqi government progress in the War supplemental that you could not accept out of principle?

And here is my favorite one of all:

"You can use it to frighten people, or you can show leadership and solve this problem once and for all."

This president has use fear to legitimize and manifest his power like no one else, and now he is going to take the pulpit and chastise others for using a tool he is so fond of.   If it bothers you Georgie that fear is being used to advance a cause, whether its a fair assessment or not, take a look in the mirror.  You (and your buddy Rove) wrote the playbook on using fear to bludgeon your critics.  You just never thought it would be legislators from your own party using it against you.  Boo Hoo. 

Where have you gone Joe DiMaggio...I Mean...Nick A.?

It has been a month and half since my last post, and I figure it is about time to get back to work on my writing again.  I must admit I have been going through a bit of writer's bloc. Well not so much writer's bloc as an inability to tap the passion I know still courses through my veins.  Maybe it's because I feel the leadership of this country has gottent to be so pathetic that railing against them just seems to easy.

At the same time, as emboldened as some of my progressive brethern have become since the 2006 elections, there appears to be a lack of understanding of the reality of the situation in the nation's capital.  As you are most likely aware, the Congressional leadership dropped the requirement of timelines in latest Iraq supplemental.  Headlines read "Democrats Cave" or "Bush Wins", but the reality of the situation is the balance of power between the Congress and the Executive Branch ties the power of the leadership because they are no where near the votes to override the veto.  The ultra-thin majority the democrats hold in the senate 51-49 makes it even harder to get legislation through, especially with Joe Lieberman in the 51 democratic votes. 

The minority voter protections in the senate...those same protections like the filibuster that we progressives screamed about keeping intact just over a year ago are now there to protect the GOP.  We can't complain about them now, when they are  working against us in our endevours.  The truth is for all the discussion about defunding the war and the left's outrage that the democrats haven't delivered the one issue they were elected on, there was never a chance to get it done with the margins currently held in the both chambers.  It is time that those of us who want our troops home as soon as possible to realize that the path home will take a couple of years to happen.

The election in 2006 was the first step in that direction.  We can get there with one more step in 2008, especially if we elect a democratic president, or at the very least, expand our majorities in both the senate and the house. I know this is the news that most don't want to hear, especially when our soldiers are dying overseas, watching over a civil war.  The responsibility for those deaths lies solely with George Bush, not with the congress. 

The president has too much power in this situation as commander in chief and holder of the veto pen to be overcome by this Congress.  A standoff on this issue right now, increases the chance that nothing else gets done in this Congress.  I remind you that no one of the bills passed by the house in the 100 hours docket has been signed into law (or even sent to the president as of yet).  This business needs to get done and get done soon.   We can not spend the next two months discussing the funding of the war.  The president has already made the decision, and whether we like it or not, he has the power to make those decisions.  If it bugs you, blame the people who voted for Georgie in 2004, the blood of our soldiers (and the innocents killed in Iraq) is on their hands, not Pelosi and Reid.

On a separate, it was a year ago yesterday that I wrote my first post for Courage.   It was nice to re-read it, reminding myself that if I use my voice, then maybe I can do something to make a difference.  So as I pass the first anniversary of my blogging experiment, I hope that year 2 will be as fulfilling as year 1.  Vacation is over, time to write the next chapter of Courage Makes a Majority.  It should be fun.  It is good to be back.