I find that I have begun to hate this woman. Seriously, what do people in her district see in this woman?

And she won again. Talk about UGH!

So, why do you think she's rolling over? Was it what Sibel Edmonds said (link above)? Anyone remember the most forgotten "terrorist" attack (anthrax, just after 9/11 sent to Dems)?

There has to be some kind of explanation for this.

Alas, it is escaping me.

Principal and values, standing by your word, has lost it's meaning with this Congress. I am so defeated at this point. I would also ask that you all link to this site re: FISA, they make all the calls for you. Very slick!!

http://tools.advomatic.com/7/fisa

I want Rove in jail for the rest of his life - passionately. He's a turd of a human being.

However, I can't discount the fact that the creature is an unscrupulous strategist and potentially a formidable opponent to our legal system. If we bring him on the charges he deserves, we do risk making him a cause for the Right - a martyr. Look, if they can heap praise on Helms, they can make Rove look like a victim.

I often find myself wondering at Pelosi's real agenda, to be sure, but in this case, I'm not sure she's wrong, much as that concept turns my stomach.

I still want impeachment of Bush/Cheney. I want it because it's the right thing to do, and because it brings their crimes to the public stage. I also want Rove to pay - and to pay dearly - for what he's contributed to the sinking of our ship of state. But I'm cautious, too.

So, I'm just saying that there could be reason to be careful when the creature not only has the whole smear machine he helped create on his side, but he's a commentator on MSM with a venue to reach more people, frankly, than our Congress.

Maybe I'm wrong, and principle is more important than tactics, but I'm willing to be wrong and still present another side of the issue.

The committee will probably not hold Rove in contempt yet, but not because of Nancy Pelosi's for-the-media request.

What is going on is perhaps a little more complex than it appears on the surface, and this is NOT conspiracy talk.

There is a case testing the limits of immunization of Executive officials from congressional subpoenas currently pending before Judge John Bates in the cases of Harriet Miers and Josh Bolton.

This case is very crucial to how the judiciary committee will proceed and they really have to wait and see what Judge Bates does.

If he dismisses the case, the committee is then free to use inherent contempt. He might also allow the civil contempt cases to go forward, in which case the committee will start another such case against Rove. If he rules in favor of the claim of qualified immunity in Meirs and Boltons case, then Conyers will close up shop on Rove most likely.

So everything depends of Judge Bates now.

And of course, he knows it.

Here we go again, arguing and attacking fellow democrats - even if we do disagree with them - instead of taking decisive action against McCain and the Repubs. It's not that these issues aren't important, but right now isn't the time to go after Pelosi, but to keep focused. If Rove slides away, then I will hope that some sort of karmic retribution reaches him and his criminal friends. But I think the time will come when real retribution catches up with them. Perhaps the time isn't now, and that's a pity, but now IS the time to get Obama elected and to face our real enemies. If Pelosi needs a spanking, we can provide that after we gain real control. Right now, Dems have sort of control, not real control. Let's make it real.

Speaking politically (and this has nothing to do with the merits):

If Congress wants to try out inherent contempt for the first time in decades, Rove is probably the best subject they could ask for.

Bad press, not much political sympathy.
No base of his own.
No longer in the Executive.
Not subject to the client privilege
Ample evidence of Hatch Act improprieties.
Already involved in litigation pending before Magistrate Judge Facciola...a record of stonewalling information requests
and so forth and so on.

I think there are answers to these questions and not all that esoteric or mysterious. The bread and butter of liberals is that they retreat every time they are at a battlefront to show themselves, to really believe in themselves. We deny that in ourselves and are condemed to live it. We have a wonderful grip on all the issues. But somehow lack the fortitude to stand our ground. This breeds contempt from the conservatives to the point of nausea. Who could blame them. Its as if being right is what matters and not the action- the actual implimentation. You can be right all the time if you are on the loosing side and don't actually make a move on the chess table. Witness our nomination process.We try to give each candidate their share of the credit. Yikes. Would anyone want another race like we just had? The thing that scares me, is that because the liberals having this feeling of entitelment- they don't have to do anything to win the Presidential election this year. Nancy's stradegy to do "nothing wrong" to not rock the boat lets say, is exactly a set up to take a "Hillary" on the outcome. We can have all this contempt for conservatives on the issues- but this lack of courage, this sense of fairness we are trying to exude is making half of America sick. Its going to take some knock down drag out scraps to get out of this neo con mess. Both sides know this- but whose side do you want to be on? If you're a person who is on the fence with the politics - you go for a winner. And liberals have a tough time looking like a winner.
All over America pundits are free to say Democrats are acting liberal. As if its a dirty word. It is NEVER challenged. Just once would a liberal stand up and accuse someone of being conservative? What does this tell you? We got a serious spine problem. But we need to get off our high horse of being right about everything. We need to corral any liberal who can't shoot except with his mouth. You are aware that an impeachment of Cheney has passed and is tabled indefinetly thanks to Nancy? An impeachment articale that the Republicans voted for to show how guttless their opponents are. How do you think that plays out on the American psyche? The big daddy party has us on the ropes- and no amount of begging and carping about bad policy is going to give us some sort of "deserved chance" to take the rains. Daddy is often wrong but gets his way. Nancy's plan to pass all these great measures is ridiculous. She has gotten a few minor minor things passed- but there's little direction. She didn't get her dress tusseled- but no red meat. No leadership and no daddy power. None. nuff said.

Or maybe what they have on her big donors, Timba.

2) Tell me, why do YOU think the our elected officials are rolling over on all of us?

Remember when all the Republicans trooped out of the chamber and assembled on the Capitol stairs for an orchestrated statement and photo op? It was supposed to be some spontaneous outrage about something or other that was morally repugnant to them, but the real effect was to bring any discussion and vote about further action against Meier and Bolten to a halt. And nothing's happened about them since.

These guys are way better organized than our guys. Remember the filibuster non-slumber party? It might have worked against less-organized opposition, but instead all that got reported about it (because it's what the Republicans said over and over) was how bad it made the Dems look, because it was such a waste of time.

The Reps have even their moderates virtually in lockstep, and we have the Blue Dogs to contend with, along with other wild cards. To a man/woman, each of the Blue Dogs voted "yea" on FISA last month.

It's more than daunting, and they have a lot of pressure on them to take the "easy" way and go along with what the admin wants. Look at the difference in telecom donation numbers for yea and nay FISA voters, and you'll see that money must have had an influence.

These people are all-too-fallible humans, and few of them are really "leaders." The way to get them to follow the right path is to make them do it. Hence, my comments here and elsewhere about sending our representatives and senators faxes of support for taking the right, but hard, action and urging them to follow through.

I think that fear of not being elected again and the assurance that they will be elected again—all of which come from constituent letters threatening not to vote for them or promising to vote for them, depending upon what they do—is the only way to counteract the money and the peer pressure.

I don't know if they can do it, but key Dems need to get out on the Capitol steps themselves to some waiting media every time there's a chance the Reps could latch onto something to further damage the Dems. It takes coordination of Rovian dimensions, but it has to be attempted.

And every misstatement and misrepresentation the Reps get through have to be nipped immediately in the bud. There can't be any letting this stuff slide any more. That's another way that faxes can help, because a nice big first paragraph pointing these things out and asking them to get clarification out there could do the trick.

One thing these guys aren't is shrinking violets, so I see nothing wrong with playing on their egos to get them out there pushing what needs to be pushed and saying what needs to be said. Some of them might only need to think they're seen as heroes to make them become heroes.

I used to be a prison guard and watched how former law enforcement officials were treated, when they were caught up in the system.
1st - came ridicule and shame from their peers.
2nd - came calls for the harshest punishment available.
3rd - came complete protection and justification for their actions.

It almost seems as if they vent for the public appearance and then settle into a "their but for the grace of God, go I" mentallity.

Reminds me of Congress!