Carl Hulse reports on the GOP rebellion against the President:
Intramural fights in politics often have an element of calculation if not orchestration, and the White House’s political shop is no doubt aware that allowing Congressional Republicans to put some distance between themselves and Mr. Bush in an election year could serve the party’s long-term interest.
Whether theatrics or something more fundamental, some Republicans say that the port fight and scrutiny of the surveillance program show a new willingness to confront the White House and that it is a fitting moment for Congress to declare its independence.
“If there was ever a good time for Congress to figure out oversight, it would be in the sixth year of a presidency,” said Representative Roy Blunt of Missouri, the No. 3 House Republican, well aware that the party in power typically loses seats at the midpoint of a president’s second term.
That instinct for political survival is helping to stiffen the Congressional spine.
For some reason, reading this called to mind a line from Woody Allen’s Hannah & Her Sisters where Frederick says: “If Jesus came back and saw what’s going on in His name, He’d never stop throwing up.”
The idea, from Roy Blunt, that the GOP has suddenly “figured out oversight” (even if only for the basest self-serving reasons) is a cruel joke.
In the same paper, today, Scott Shane and David D. Kirkpatrick report:
The plan by Senate Republicans to step up oversight of the National Security Agency’s domestic surveillance program would also give legislative sanction for the first time to long-term eavesdropping on Americans without a court warrant, legal experts said on Wednesday.
We are watching our country slip into an authoritarian state. And the New York Times is offering us up tripe about the GOP “calculating a political fight” to cynically distance themselves from Der Fuhrer. Sorry if I am not impressed.
Tell Harry Reid to shut down the Senate until we have NSA hearings. This is not a joke. This is our Republic that is at stake.
If the day ever comes when the motives of those in Congress (of both parties) are based on an authentic committment to serve the Anerican people first, (over thier own asses,) I will pay attention to stuff like Republicans distancing from Bush. Till that time, this is like watching rats scrambling for higher ground as the waters rise.
Hear, hear!!
I emailed Harry…anyone else?
thank you. We need to do this everyday. Either that, or we all do a die-in in his office.
I think we should organize simultaneous die-ins at every local and DC office they’ve got…
you may be right. First we’d need to raise money for bail and court costs. But it may be that we have to do that.
I did
I assume everyone got his e-mail yesterday asking for help sending 20,000 letters to the editor “demanding the Republican Congress do its job and conduct oversight of the Bush Administration”.
I was hoping that meant he was trying to garner support for doing something like shutting down the senate.
Imho, the man who needs the heat is Sen. Pat Roberts. As Thinkprogress notes he is the Chairman of the Senate Intelligence Cover-Up Committee who has been doing Bu$hCheney’s bidding. Does Cheney have the goods on him?
warrantless Domestic Spying
Iraq Intelligence
Intelligence Leak Hypocrisy
Torture
What Editorial Boards, country wide are saying
Take a read. Thinkprogress covers his yeoman’s work. Roberts is a dangerous man.
Roberts has been left in his cave to do severe damage. He needs a floodlight under an abundance of outrage with intensity not seen since the Boston Tea Party.
I did.
Foolish me. Here I was thinking all along that the FISA court was supposed to provide the oversight.
I called his Washington office yesterday, and explained that extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures- and urged him to shut down the senate until the republicans agreed to abide by the constitution- and hold hearings.
We chatted a bit about abetting, and pretending that all is business as usual. It isn’t.
All in all a serious chat, which he promised to pass on.
well done. they need a flood. Big Orange could do it, but we can do our part.
Thanks. I was so motivated again that I called just now as well. It sounds like they feel helpless.
What it’s going to come down to is–and the sooner we accept it, the better–nothing is going to fix this situation from the inside.
America must “Ukraine” BushCo.
We can’t rely on the government to police itself at this time. It’s one of those moments in history–like 33 BC, or 1776–when the people have to take our primary responsibility for being citizens and managing our country.
I believe that if we just drop everything at a certain point in the immediate future, march to Washington from all over America, and stay there screaming until BushCo shuts down, a tide of support will join us.
Everybody in the country feels this way. It could coincide with this protest.
WE THE PEOPLE are summoned to do it now, because nobody else is taking care of it.
We need an uber-tsunami of protest and outrage to surge FOR REAL.
As Ronald Reagan used to say, “Government is the problem.”
We will have to fix this ourselves.
PS.
Dear Homeland Security,
You, the FBI, and the NSA have no business impeding democratic movements in the United States.
You know we’re right. Step aside or join.
Let’s go.
Enough is enough.
Impeach Incompetence.
I sent an email off to him, even though I hold out little hope that anything will be done, let alone having the email taken seriously.
Here is what I wrote, for what it’s worth:
Dear Senator Reid,
I am not a resident of Nevada, but I do feel as if I am a constituent of yours because you are the Democratic Leader in the Senate. As someone who votes democrat 90% of the time, I feel that you are responsible for representing me, and the democratic ideals that I hold dear. Foremost of those ideals being the rule of law. As you know, no President or ordinary citizen is above the law. However, this President has flagrantly broken the law repeatedly. Worse even still, he has said publically that he fully intends to keep spying on Americans. In effect he is saying, stop me if you can. Well Senator, since the Republicans on the Intelligence Commitee have abdicated their responsibility and their oath to uphold our laws and our Constitution, I feel compelled to make a plea to you to do something. Anything to reverse this freefall into lawlessness and disrespect for the citizens of this country. I am aware that your options are limited. I am aware, and am grateful, for those times that you have stood on principle and taken the difficult descision to shut down the Senate in the face of huge opposition and cries of foul from the other side. But if there were ever a time in our history that good men and women were being called to make a stand, it is this time Senator. I implore you to find a way to bring this issue back into the public realm and spell out, once again, what is truly at stake here.
I am very grateful for the leadership you have displayed in the face of terrible odds. You and I could find much to disagree about but in this I am fully confident we agree. That this President is threatening our survival as a free people and as a nation of laws, equal for all.
Please Sir. Millions are counting on you to rise to the occasion. I believe you will.
With Sincerity and Good Wishes,
Blankety Blank
Southold, NY
C’mon, folks . . . you can email Harry all you want, but (1) the FISA issue is too complex for him to figure out, (2) he can’t violate the Dems’ “don’t ask, don’t yell” strategy, (3) if (1) and (2) aren’t true, Harry hasn’t got enough power to shut down his stove, much less the Senate.
This diary is linked to at National Journal’s Hotline blogometer. Scroll down to the “eavesdropping” section.