Am I dreaming or something? Did the Democrats win control of Congress in last year's elections or did they not? Because it sure doesn't look like it.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi have knuckled under to President Bush again and again this past year. More blank-check war funding, more unrestricted spying, you name it - the Democrats have repeatedly handed Bush one victory after another without putting up a real fight.
The latest example of their surrender was the under-cover-of-darkness confirmation of Michael Mukasey as Attorney General. Sure he won't renounce the use of torture. Sure he says the president can ignore the law as long as he uses the magic words "national security." Sure he'll refuse to enforce Congressional contempt subpoenas against the White House. Confirm him anyway.
(Speaking of Mukasey, blogs are reporting that Reid rushed through the Mukasey vote in exchange for being allowed to vote on a military spending bill that doesn't include off-the-books spending for the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. He wouldn't even allow traveling senators time to get back to Washington in order to vote. Thanks for nothing, Harry.)
And people wonder why Congress' polling numbers are even lower than Bush's. It's not because they confront the White House and make life miserable for the president; it's because they simply refuse to do so. It doesn't matter how unpopular Bush is - in fact, he has now become the first president with a 50% "strongly disapprove" rating. (Even Nixon didn't get that high.) They just won't do it.
Why in the world won't they do their jobs? Are they really that scared of GOP attack ads, that they'll roll over and play dead whenever Bush makes unhappy noises? Do they not realize that the American people so can't stand Bush that another round of dishonest talking points won't make a dent? Or are they so in love with the notion of bipartisanship that they still haven't figured out how the Republicans define it - make the Democrats bend over and give them everything they want?
With media-anointed "front runner" candidates refusing to support an Iraq pullout until at least 2013 and being similarly wishy-washy on other issues, the Democrats are running the real risk of a third-party movement splitting the vote next year. Is the party leadership so beholden to playing it safe that they'll give up yet another presidential election?
Enough cowardice. It's way past time for some real cojones on Capitol Hill. If they keep on going like this and lose the White House next year to a Bible-thumping theocrat like Mike Huckabee or a corrupt would-be dictator like Rudy Giuliani, it'll be their own damn fault.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi have knuckled under to President Bush again and again this past year. More blank-check war funding, more unrestricted spying, you name it - the Democrats have repeatedly handed Bush one victory after another without putting up a real fight.
The latest example of their surrender was the under-cover-of-darkness confirmation of Michael Mukasey as Attorney General. Sure he won't renounce the use of torture. Sure he says the president can ignore the law as long as he uses the magic words "national security." Sure he'll refuse to enforce Congressional contempt subpoenas against the White House. Confirm him anyway.
(Speaking of Mukasey, blogs are reporting that Reid rushed through the Mukasey vote in exchange for being allowed to vote on a military spending bill that doesn't include off-the-books spending for the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. He wouldn't even allow traveling senators time to get back to Washington in order to vote. Thanks for nothing, Harry.)
And people wonder why Congress' polling numbers are even lower than Bush's. It's not because they confront the White House and make life miserable for the president; it's because they simply refuse to do so. It doesn't matter how unpopular Bush is - in fact, he has now become the first president with a 50% "strongly disapprove" rating. (Even Nixon didn't get that high.) They just won't do it.
Why in the world won't they do their jobs? Are they really that scared of GOP attack ads, that they'll roll over and play dead whenever Bush makes unhappy noises? Do they not realize that the American people so can't stand Bush that another round of dishonest talking points won't make a dent? Or are they so in love with the notion of bipartisanship that they still haven't figured out how the Republicans define it - make the Democrats bend over and give them everything they want?
With media-anointed "front runner" candidates refusing to support an Iraq pullout until at least 2013 and being similarly wishy-washy on other issues, the Democrats are running the real risk of a third-party movement splitting the vote next year. Is the party leadership so beholden to playing it safe that they'll give up yet another presidential election?
Enough cowardice. It's way past time for some real cojones on Capitol Hill. If they keep on going like this and lose the White House next year to a Bible-thumping theocrat like Mike Huckabee or a corrupt would-be dictator like Rudy Giuliani, it'll be their own damn fault.
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