I want to be georgia10 when I grow up.
Pardon my cynicism for a moment. But in the wake of the raid on Congressman Jefferson's office, all the flutter in the legislative and executive branches about concepts like the "separation of powers" and "constitutionally protected areas" has a tangibly synthetic feel to it, does it not?
So Dennis "Don't Tell Anyone I'm Under Investigation" Hastert suddenly dusted off his copy of the Constitution. And Bill "Ongoing SEC Investigation" Frist wants procedures in place to know "exactly what will happen if there is a similar sort of thing." Of course he does.
And James Sensenbrenner, who didn't move an inch of his miserable body when the President chose to ignore 750 laws passed by Congress, has now scrambled to arrange a hearing next week titled, "Reckless Justice: Did the Saturday Night Raid of Congress Trample the Constitution?" So Sensenbrenner finally woke up to a constitutional crisis...after six years. What, did his Ambien finally wear off?
And let's look at Alberto Gonzales, who didn't resign over Bush's domestic spying program, who didn't resign over his laughably dishonest definition of torture, who didn't resign when he was caught perjuring himself before Congress--he now threatens to resign if he has to hand back a few papers? Please, spare me the political theater. I agree with Steve Soto over at the Left Coaster. This is all utter bullshit.
This uproar over the raid smacks more of self-preservation than preservation of the Constitution. When all this hype dies down, all of these political ostriches will go back to sticking their heads in the sand. And what will remain? An imperial Presidency, a tattered Constitution, and the painful, continued silence of a Congress that doesn't give a damn about democracy as we know it.
There is a reason I didn't even bother getting upset at Hayden's confirmation- I have given up on these guys.