Republicans On The Out

I laughed out loud. Listening to the radio this afternoon, NPR reported that the Republicans were upset. Apparently, the Democratic leadership did not involve them in planning for the upcoming session.

I am sure they were, like Captain Renault, in Casablanca, “I'm shocked, shocked to find that gambling is going on in here! ..."

I see the freeze out as perfectly consistent with the first item on the Democrat’s ‘six point plan” (although the title referred to 2006):

Honest Leadership & Open Government

We will end the Republican culture of corruption and restore a government as good as the people it serves, starting with real ethics reform. http://www.democrats.org/agenda.html

I seem to remember the Democrats complaining that the Republicans froze them out. Not to long ago the big Washington news focused on Democrats having to watch out for the “nuclear option” in filibustering judicial nominations because they were so wholly without power.

Congressional power flows to the majority power. Work gets done in the standing and special committees, which operate at the mercy of the chair, positions filled by the majority leader. The Senate and House have “rules and precedents” under which they operate. This is why the President’s immediate reaction to the mid-term election results required him to start crowing about “bi-partisanship.” He wanted the Republicans in.

So now we get t hypocrisy. Is either party clean? Did not the Dems howl at the heavy handed way the Republican leadership bused the system? Long open-vote periods. Closed door meetings. Refusal to docket minority bills. That was what the whole tone of Washington that Bush ran on in the first place. And rove has become master at his attack. Rove made divisiveness into a consummate art politic.

Also the Dams have such fertile ground. It seems a long time since we have heard from some of these committees. There has just been no oversight. The Dems could spend both years catching up. They have expressed some desire to just let the last six years pass. Maybe they intend to let history be the judge of Bus record.

I think I is important to drag these yahoos in, sit them, down, put them under oath, and find out what happened. The influence of money, stupidity, and putridity must be exposed.

How can we enact laws about warrantees seizure of phone records without exposing what has been done? How could Qwest be the only corporation that even asked to see a warrant, or eve a letter from the Attorney general. How could all this money, literally bales of cash be lost in Iraq. America deserves to know.

We may not get any their legislation accomplished. But America can live with that. What we really need to know, s just what fools they thought we were, how much damage has been done, and who needs to finally be made to stand up and admit accountability. It has been a long time coming.

To hell with bi-partisanship.