Gore was a bore in 2000,
ran away from Clinton and victory,
then vanished. Now he’s been sucked into
the current political vacuum.
While other Democrats debate which
issue to tackle – incompetence, corruption,
bad judges, war – Al chose breaking the law.
Probably too little, too late. Too bad.
Senator Feinstein will vote against Alito, but
she says, “I don’t see those kinds of egregious
things emerging that would justify a filibuster.”
It seems to me consenting to a lifetime appointment
requires confidence that the nominee will do good,
not lack of proof that he or she will do serious harm.
There is no question Sam Alito will shift the [...]
Biden gets a bad rap for talking too much, but
he usually has something intelligent to say,
and I prefer his rambling to Sam’s dissembling.
If Democrat leaders would try thinking as a group
instead of plotting as individuals, perhaps they could
agree on Joe as the primary opponent for Hillary.
A one-on-one campaign could concentrate on
issues instead of personal attacks, [...]
First he lied about how much it might cost,
then he gave most of the money to drug
and insurance companies. He published
inaccurate literature. The program become
so complicated few seniors could figure
out how to enroll, so most didn’t. Finally,
to put the finishing touch on his biggest
fiasco since Iraq, the first two weeks of
operation left thousands with no [...]
Pundits think Alito won the hearing.
It was not a real contest, but he lost.
He didn’t convince us he’d protect
abortion rights or equal opportunity.
He won’t limit executive power, so a
filibuster is the only honorable course.
If that is made illegal by a spurious rule
change, bring the Senate to a halt. Any
Democrat who votes for Alito should be
drummed [...]
Bush peered at New Orleans through his
rose-colored bubble and called it “a heck
of a place to bring your family.” He added,
“for folks…looking for a great place to have
a convention…I’d suggest coming here.â€?
He promised better levees, not the best,
more spending, not the most, asserted
recovery will be led by private business.
It has to be – the [...]
The senate charade has gone far enough.
Democrats should get together and agree
to filibuster anyone who is not middle-road.
Alito isn’t, and we should go down talking,
“Think about it,� we should say, “when the
pendulum swings back, what will you want?
In Kentucky today President
Bush compared his approach to
immigration to Prohibition –
the granddaddy of ignored laws.
I wonder how businesses who
profit from cheap labor feel about
being compared to racketeers
who made money on illegal booze.
Sam’s voice seems whiney.
Is he trying to sound like
Justice O’Connor?
His former friends have isolated
Jack Abramoff, left him lonely
and sad. It is hard to feel sorry for
the guy, but he still has to testify.
If he does a good job in court,
when it’s over he can write a book
about his final act of contrition –
how he helped clean up Washington.
Supreme Court Justice
nominees deserve hearings
not endless speeches.
Let him talk, he might
choke on obfuscation or
stumble into truth.
If he’s a gabby
ideologue maybe we’ll
delete Alito.
It suddenly occurred to Denny Hastert
that it’s time to change the rules for
lobbyists. He probably wants to avoid
following Tom DeLay out the door.
Unfortunately this will be a difficult task.
Republicans have to find controls to
suggest that differ from those Democrats
have been proposing for months.
Does anyone think Tom DeLay
will really go away? Losing his
leadership role is tough, but raising
money was his true claim to fame.
Assuming he doesn’t join his
lobbying friends in jail he’ll
continue to be a top fund raiser –
this time in Democrat direct mail.
President Bush turns Roosevelt’s
“bully pulpit� into a bully’s perch by
challenging Congressional power.
They think he’s breaking the law,
he keeps doing it, and bypasses them
with a slew of recess appointments.
Republicans act like constitutional
checks and balances refer to campaign
contributions when they don’t retaliate.
Abramoff used to work at getting attention.
He doesn’t have to anymore.
Everyone in Washington is aware of who he is,
though hardly anyone knows him personally.
Charities have benefited from the generosity
he inspired among government officials.
If they could expose more scandals,
it might be cheaper than direct mail.
Bush demands the whole
“Patriot� Act be renewed.
Since he won’t compromise
Democrats shouldn’t either.
They should filibuster any
renewal at all until the
President agrees to change
the name to “Big Brother.�
There is no longer any
reason to modify some
provisions – we know he
won’t obey them anyway.
Abramoff pleading guilty before
he’s indicted suggests the evidence
against him reached a critical mass.
As we learn more about how he influenced
Congress perhaps public disgust with
politicians will reach a tipping point.
If it does Casino Jack may become
the most productive lobbyist in history.