January 6, 2005, Leave it to George W. Bush to find someone more troubling than John Ashcroft...
And so day one of the Alberto Gonzales, Arlen and Leahy Circus, a/k/a Alberto Gonzales' senate confirmation hearings to become our nation's 80th attorney general.
As to his prior advocacy of torture and dictatorial presidential powers and the purported obsolecence of the Geneva Conventions, Gonzales told senators something like "mistakes were made". Well, the right honorable gentlemen will duly grill Mr. Gonzales, and then debate.
My advice, not that anyone wants it, is that the Senate Democrats express their disgust, and then note that they have no interest in undermining the President's choice of "his team"; the people elected the President-- he gets his team, even if, as in the case of Ashcroft, they are inconceivably stupid, or like Gonzales, are a tad "constitutionally challenged" in some of his opinions (i.e. anything involving limitations on the President's power, for example).
Indeed-- this would be my best advice overall. Do NOT try to be particularly disruptive; seek compromise where possible, and when none is coming, get out of their way. My inclination to fillibuster and disrupt everything is certainly a feel-good knee jerk reaction, but it will do little, if any good.
The people have spoken: we have unified government in all branches. The party in power, I fear, is fiscally irresponsible and has shown incompetence in the management of our security, internal and abroad, but as I have said before, the people, by a majority, albeit a small one, have told us they like what they see. If we are right, and these policies are folly or worse, then we'll see what happens in '06. If not, well... we have to ask ourselves if we simply have contempt for democracy itself? (We're not a democracy; we're a republic, and because of our senate and electoral college, one of the least democratic republics in the industrialized world.--Ed.) Damn... we're reduced to a Mickey Kaus...
Hey-- speaking of actual democracy, somewhere, somehow, I'm picturing a lean, mean, buff Al Gore running and up and down the Capitol steps in camouflage fatigues, and then heading into a meat locker pummelling a side of beef with Bill and Hillary Clinton's picture on it. Tipper!!! Standing by...
Comments
Hey TD, did you read where $240,000 in tax dollars was paid to Armstrong Williams (who?) to promote an education reform bill sought by W? Damn, for $120, I'll open my window and scream about the proposal. But, yet more "finessing" of laws by the W Gang. Gonzalez is ideal for Attorney General solely because his head doesn't spin upon hearing these "finesse" interpretations.
Posted by What What What? at January 7, 2005 11:30 AM
No, Triple Dub, I hadn't heard about that, though why should it surprise anyone?
Lookie here: Alberto is a good little yes-man, who really doesn't trouble the President with anything the President doesn't want to hear. Rest assured, he'll carry that cheerful attitude into the Department of Justice, and then onto his job as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court when Bill steps down in a year or two.
And what wiill Chuck Schumer and the gang do then? FILLIBUSTER Gonzales? that would be nuts on a number of levels: Latinos will be pissed off FOREVER, and Bush has lots of hard-ass ideologues who would be far more troubling than Gonzales available.
The move, henceforth, that Democrats HAVE TO DO, amounts to public shaming, getting out of the way of the vote, and then having the Republicans accusing them of being OBSTRUCTIONIST (that's already started)-- and responding with "DO YOU NOT WANT THE AMERICAN PEOPLE TO KNOW THE FACTS?"
Of course, all of this would require finesse and skill, and cojones...
But I can dream!!!
Posted by the talking dog at January 7, 2005 12:05 PM
The best description of Bush's choices I read or heard was that we're getting just what we need - more yes-men (and women) for the President. Don't laugh, but this driving need for a strong president is very similar to the motivating factor behind the Roman Senate's giving dictitorial powers to Augustine. Once that happened, it became very difficult to step back.
I'm afraid that that is what we are doing here - we're accepting a structure of government that is anathema to our good republican sensibilities. And it is happening with the party that used to pride itself on wanting a diffusion of power.
Ah, for the good old days of Reagan. . .
Posted by Tweed at January 7, 2005 2:49 PM
Ironic, Tweed, that the city that most likely put our new Caligula in charge a second time was named for Cincinattus (who, of course, voluntarily renounced absolute power and returned to private life).
I will say again: we elected him, unless he nominates actual criminals, just because these people are disagreeable--or hold views that are disagreeable, or even outrageous-- this is how he wishes to govern.
Of course, that always implied we had a Congress and courts that would stop him from evading the Constitution. After the Padilla case, of course, we officially became a dictatorship. I guess we should all sit back and enjoy it.
Posted by the talking dog at January 7, 2005 3:18 PM
Talking Dog: I agree - ooooh baby, give it to me!
Posted by Tweed at January 7, 2005 3:23 PM
Caught a videoclip (uncertain of the occasion) in which Bush explained that he wanted to get all the "problems" cleared up for the next generation because, after all, he's "going home" in four years. Smirked when he said that of course. I don't think he was imagining George Washington dismissing his troops at the end of the Revolutionary War. Creeped me out.
Posted by Miss Authoritiva at January 8, 2005 8:57 PM
Miss A--
Another Cincinattus vs. Caligula reference... I see a trend here.
There were many who feared that fake terror alerts would be used to avoid having our "election" in 2004. But, those of us who knew which states had the good old electronic voting machines assumed that there was no reason for such extreme concerns. No reason at all.
Given George W. Bush's intrinsic authority as commander in chief to ignore the law, of course, I would guess that whatever form our "election" takes in 2008 will be... most interesting. As the POor Man noted recently, Gonzales' problems don't seem to be with the Geneva Conventions or even the COnstitution so much as with the Magna Carta. We got tzuras. But good.
Posted by the talking dog at January 8, 2005 10:35 PM