Everyone worried about the ridiculous and unconstitutional antics of the Bush administration has been wondering for nearly a year about why the Democrats haven't done anything about them. Lots of really serious things have gone down, and the Dems have been complicit and occasionally even instrumental in them. Well, recently one piece of the puzzle fell into place. Know how everyone was super pissed at now Attorney General Mukasey for refusing to condemn waterboarding and torture, and how everyone was at least as pissed at the Democrats for allowing him to be confirmed? Why would the Dems allow this torture apologist to be confirmed? Ta-da! A reason.
Yep, Pelosi was briefed on the fact that the US was engaging in waterboarding and other things (aka torture) in 2002 (!), and while her reaction isn't known for sure, it was "acquiescence, if not outright support," and "not just approval, but encouragement." Personally, the support/encouragement seem more likely to me now. Why? Because Pelosi pushed the only lawmaker who formally objected to the briefing on waterboarding etc, Rep. Jane "Goodness and Humanity" Harman, out of the chair position on the House Intelligence Committee when the Democrats took power. At the time, everyone wondered why Pelosi pushed Harman out, but now it seems obvious: Pelosi did not want the leader of the Intelligence Committee to be against the kinds of intelligence gathering methods Pelosi was cool with, including waterboarding, and so Harman was out.
Now, as Speaker of the House, Pelosi doesn't control the confirmation process for Bush appointees like Attorney General Mukasey; that's the Senate's job. But the leadership of one house of Congress is not wholly distinct from that of the other, they do get together and have chats and hang out and make strategy and all that, so it seems impossible that Pelosi didn't have an effect on the confirmation process. Given that, we have a couple of options. One, the Senate leadership was fine with confirming Mukasey, and Pelosi was too. Two, the Senate leadership was against or wishy washy about confirming Mukasey, and Pelosi either convinced them that confirming him was good or told them that Mukasey's non-stance on waterboarding and torture should not be a reason to deny him the attorney generalship.
This is what the entire country gave its support to the Democrats for, so that we could have some crazy torture apologist for Speaker of the House, huh? My faith in government has spiraled radically downward over the last 6 years, but this makes it go even farther. I can't effect change even by completely changing the makeup of the legislature in one of the most egregious defeats one party has ever received in the history of American politics? The American people can't vote a different party into power and say, in no uncertain terms, "What the previous party did was wrong, and I now elect you to flip a 180 on all those terrible policies." No, here I thought I was getting a liberal who loved the Constitution, and it turns out I was getting more of the same. That is disgusting to me.
I think I'm gonna have to expand my Dream Impeachment List. Welcome, Nancy Pelosi. I sure as crap hope you lose in your '08 primary.
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2 comments:
Sheehan for Speaker! You know we'd be out of Iraq in a week.
Welcome to the wonderful world of politics, Paine. You had to know that the only reason someone as radically liberal as Pelosi seemed to be got into the Speaker position in the first place is because she made some back room deals - which is the only way anything gets done in Washington. And what do you want to bet this was one of them?
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