I am feeling despondent this morning. Maybe it is fatigue after yesterday, but NPR reported this morning that the Senate Judiciary Committee has cut a deal with the White House over the NSA listening flap. Senator Spector will not subpoena telephone execs. In exchange for White House consideration of a Congressional resolution that would give it more "oversight" over the program. (See comments from Senator Leahy below.)Yeah, since when has the White House allowed oversight of anything?
Then, the a One two punch, NPR Reported that the Senate Judiciary Committee hearings on Journalists who report classified information were no more than a demonstration of stonewalling. In questioning the Mathew Friedrich (a smallish functionary from Justice), Senator Leahy (D-VT) likened the responses to POW interrogation. "This is what happens, whether you come from the Dept. Of Justice, FBI, or anything else. Any time you ask anything where there might have been a screw up by this Administration, [you get] 'I don't think I can answer that.' I mean there is this arrogance in this Administration against ANY KIND OF OVERSIGHT [my emphasis added. Leahy later asked Friedrich if he had been sent up to be a "punching bag". He apologized for this comment, but then continued, "Is there any questions you guys are allowed to answer other than your title, time of day? I mean is this sort of like a prisoner of war type of thing?" One is lead to wonder.
My frustration overflows. Congress is no more than a costly body of talking heads. Leahy said as much. Listen to his comments.
Wednesday, June 07, 2006
Ostriches and the One-Two Punch
Posted by USWest at 10:32 AM
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4 comments:
In our system, oversight and accountability depends on partisan competition. When one party controls all branches of government and maintains strict party discipline, oversight breaks down. This is a very rare event.
The only way to get accountability is for the Democrats to win in 2006.
// posted by Raised By Republicans
Well, that isn't a good enough excuse. There isn't much party dicipline among Reps now. To me it is pure spinelessness.
// posted by USWest
Furthermore,why try to please a White House with a 35% approval rating?
Either they were given a glance at some of the information gleened from the program and decided it was critical enough to be worried, or they got something else they really wanted.
// posted by USWest
Your right that party discipline among the GOP is less than it was a few years ago. And you are right that the reason is the low approval ratings. But, the Republican Congressmen behave much differently when their voting on a run of the mill policy vote than they do when it's a procedural vote that would sanction the President or begin a genuine corruption investigation. In other words, when it really matters the party is still sticking together.
It's too easy to just throw up our hands and write this all off as a mass case of flawed character. Character is simply not a sufficient explanation for the kind of complexity we see.
// posted by Raised By Republicans
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