It's official Republican lawmakers are pouting

Today Republican lawmakers stormed out of congress. In a move like a two year old, Republicans have officially taken their ball and gone home. They can stay there as far as I'm concerned, but unfortuantly they will be back and throwing more temper tantrums till they get their way and they will unless Dems grow a backbone.

All this is about the house holding two Bush lackeys in contempt. They also said they were "walking out" because of the wiretapping law was going to expire in two days. Hey Republicans if this big brother act is so important then get rid of the immunity for the telecoms. If they did nothing wrong and the bill is so important for the safety of America then get rid of the immunity. I swear if this thing passes with the immunity, then the America I knew and loved is dead.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23169760

I saw this on the news but wasn't focusing--a strange tale indeed. Look at this weird remark for instance:

The administration has said the information being sought is off-limits under executive privilege, and argues that Bolten and Miers are immune from prosecution. Administrations from both parties have invoked executive privilege, arguing that White House aides would not give the president the best advice if they knew they might be called before Congress to testify under oath.

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I mean, wouldn't the best advice to the president be the truth about anything? But you couldn't tell the truth, because you might have to testify under oath that it was the truth?

They do sound a bit petulant here as well:

"If the House had nothing better to do, this futile partisan act would be a waste of time," said Dana Perino, the White House spokeswoman. "The 'people's House' should reflect the priorities of the American people, not the fantasies of left-wing bloggers."

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I guess that's why Clements is testifying in Congress about getting shot in the butt with "vitamins."

I can imagine situations where the best advice would be something along the lines of "Tell the distinguished senator to pound sand". That probably wouldn't go over terribly well under oath in a congressional hearing.

The Dems are wasting time on a dead horse, but walking out doesn't exactly put the Republicans in a good light either.

magerette said:

I mean, wouldn't the best advice to the president be the truth about anything? But you couldn't tell the truth, because you might have to testify under oath that it was the truth?

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Any normal person would think exactly what you said but were talking about Bush and as we all know, he is most definatly not normal. He has used executive privilage to the breaking point. The truth is not Bush's friend and neither is most Americans now.

magerette said:

They do sound a bit petulant here as well:
"The 'people's House' should reflect the priorities of the American people"

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You see this is exactly what's wrong with these guys. The Dems ARE reflecting the priorities of a vast majority of Americans who want the administration to be held accountable for its wanton destruction of the constitution and every principal that most Americans hold near and dear to their hearts. I never want to see another president be able to do what this idiot has done in the 7 years he has been idiot in chief. So these Republicans need to shut up and let our government heal itself by making them accountable for what they have done.

Ok rant over, sorry I normally stay out of politics section but these guys just astonish me by what they try to pull.

DTE If you think it's a dead horse then the next president can pull the kinds of stunts that this adminstration did. I say get these guys in the house and have some kind of punishment for them for god sakes or what's stopping any other administration from doing whatever they want to do and just stomping over every principal that America stands for.

This is really a little cherry tree comparing to the forest of unconstitutional Acts get passed by both Demo and Rep...the Patriot Act, the Military Commission Act and the recent H.R. 1955 Violent Radicalization and Homegrown Terrorism Prevention Act. Open your eyes, folks still think that there are two parties.

No, the Democrats are not wasting time on a dead horse. This is important to both Democrats and Republicans, this is for the Constitution. We must have oversight. If this were a Democratic administration, if this were Bill Clinton doing this during his impeachment process, I would have been just as outraged. The Bush administration has flouted, stomped on, pissed on, chewed up and spit out The Constitution in so many ways it's almost uncountable.

I am so ashamed of this Congress and more so the Democrats for their spinelessness. As wrong headed as they are on so many things, at least the damn Republicans can get their act together and maintain some cohesion to get what they want. I don't mind the Republicans walking out, there are ways to fight that kind of tactic. Only, the US Congressional Democrats never seem to. The Texas Congressional Democrats walked out and disappeared when the Republicans started gerrymandering the state to try to make the Republican majority permanent. The Democrats did the only thing they could to try and stop it. They were defeated in the end because the Republicans would not let them get away with it.

I've been a Democrat by default ever since I started voting in 1979, but even I don't want the executive power grabbed by the Bush administration to go to a Democratic President. These folks have to be reigned in, not because I hate Republicans, I don't, but because I want to see the government working as it was set up by The Constitution.

Do you actually think this is about "oversight"? This is political power games and neither side could give two hoots about constitutional checks and balances.

Truthfully, I'm never sure whether politicians ever act for the higher purpose. I'd like to think that some Democrats are being swayed by the overwhelming cacophony from the base to do something about the crimes committed by the Bush administration. It may be as you say that it's simply political maneuvering, but it's better than nothing...so far. It may not be oversight grande, but it's a start compared to what this lackluster Congress has accomplished so far. Harriet Myers and Joshua Bolton need to be brought up for contempt.

What this all comes down to, is that Bush and more so Cheney are covering their asses with great fervor to avoid being exposed without any doubt as the criminals they are. If what Libby was hiding, the missing emails, the deal with the telecoms, and all that stuff being covered up by the use of executive privilege comes out, this do nothing Congress will have no choice but to expose the criminality of this administration and the incompetence of Congress for letting it happen for almost eight years.