Democrats Blow It Every Time
Feinstein and Rockafeller are worried that Leon Panetta as CIA director will leak out what they've allowed to happen with regards to torture and illegal wiretapping, etc.. They don't want Americans to know what they allowed Bush to get away with.
Now Fienstein is pushing for seating Burris. I think maybe she's got future political plans.
In the beginning when Blagojevich was arrested, Democrats decided they'd look on the up and up by refusing to accept ANY choice Blago made for Senator. Blago got them back by choosing a well liked man, Burris, a trusted ex-Illinois attorney general and yes, a black man. He's pushed the leadership in the corner. Now they HAVE to accept him or look bad. Blago still is governor, even if we don't like or trust him. I think they were hoping for time to impeach him then have the lieutenant gov choose the new senator. Their only way out now is to ask for a special election...even that may be too late....or allow Burris to come in. They can't tell him he can't run for the seat in 2010 - that's not legal.
It's sad that Democrats always seem to blow every chance they get by being SELFISH politically. Republicans, you got to hand it to them, they stick together thru thick and thin - at least till the very end of a term. Blagojevich, Burris, Richardson, Feinstein, Rockafeller are taking AWAY, each day they make the news, a piece of that political power Obama would have had on Jan 20th.
I also think that the so-called truce between Isreal and Hamas that ENDED conveniently in Dec of 2008, a month before any new president were to take office, allows Bush to say they had relative peace during his last years in office, it was only after Obama was elected they started fighting again.....therefore putting the blame for no peace deal on Obama's shoulders. Why was the truce end date set for Dec 08 to begin with? Why not Dec 07 or Dec 09 or even May 08? Having it end just before a new admin is to take office is kind of fishy to me.
I think some of these issues are fine, over, done.
Feinstein thinks Penetta is fine and even back Burris. Burris, shortly I think, will be 'certified' and the Senate will vote him in as a member.
This is chicken shit in the end. TPM has a good pre game show, if you will, giving us all a short score sheet to review as the hearings begin next week.
Pelosi is Speaker with twenty one more seats than when she started two years ago.
The Senate will have 58 Dems no matter what.
Big legislation will be passed in February and I think everyone nominated will be confirmed by the Senate.
January 7, 2009 5:17 PM | Reply | Permalink
I disagree with your account of Blago. He picked Burris, by all accounts an honorable man, to save his own political ass. It just had the unpleasant side-effect of making the Dems look bad, mostly because they fear their own collective shadow.
Which is why I thought Obama made a bad decision asking Blago to step down, and saying the Senate Dems should block ANY appointment -- as a lawyer, Obama should have respected that an allegation is not a conviction, and moral grandstanding would 1) bite all concerned in the ass, and 2) give the Republicans a mallet to beat them on the head with. Anyone else notice the Republicans have been rather silent on Blago and Burris? That's because they haven't had to say boo. The Dems have done all the leg work for them.
Now Richardson withdrew from Commerce without so much as a token fight, so as not to appear improprietous. You can bet the Republicans are taking notes, seeing the Dems cowering in the corner at the slightest hint of controversy, and they will be manufacturing controversy for the next four years to stymie the Dems every move.
The rest of these fools should have been paying attention to Obama's campaign. He didn't back down from a fight, and let controversy blow past him like a pleasant summer breeze. The rest, however, blow everything out of proportion and feign outrage at ketchup on the floor. They do, truly, blow it every time.
January 8, 2009 1:59 AM | Reply | Permalink