This must be a big deal, as I'm seeing some conservative attacks on Josh Marshall's TPM and TPMMuckraker, who have been the pitbulls on this story.
The conservative blogosphere is deep in the 4th Stage of Republican Grief - Evoke Clinton (either one), in that Clinton fired all the US Attorneys at the start of his term as well. This is true, and customary.
A few distinctions - while it is true that US Attorneys serve "at the pleasure of the President", and may be fired at any time, it is the manner, method, and machination through which this occurred that is troubling.
WASHINGTON, DC—President Bush announced Monday that his administration will permanently sever ties with the democratically controlled United States Congress, ending a nearly 220-year-old alliance between the two governmental branches.
"Our administration no longer recognizes the authority of this rogue body," said Bush in a televised Oval Office address. "Clearly, these combative men and women have a political agenda in direct opposition to our own. They have no concern for my national interests, and have left me no choice."
After six years of cordial relations between the executive and legislative branches of government, tensions flared up in January when Congress came under the control of "hostile new leadership." After a dramatic standoff last week over American policy in Iraq, the president openly denounced Congress, refused to accept calls from majority leaders, and returned Congress–approved legislation unsigned and unread.
Funny stuff, huh? Then I saw this one, NOT from the Onion (it's from USNews)…
With President Bush unable to get much traction so far in moving his agenda through Congress or in improving his job-approval ratings with the public, White House advisers are casting about for ways to jump-start his final two years, including issuing executive orders to get things done without having to ask for support from the Democratic-controlled Congress.
Q: If you have the authority to put the troops in there no matter what the Congress wants to do.
BUSH: I think I’ve got, in this situation I do, yeah. I fully understand they could try to stop me from doing it. But I’ve made my decision. And we’re going forward.
Jack's staff redirects, focusing on the "liberal media", a fellow Congressman's dogs, the ability to virtually legislate via Blackberry, and stating that ideas and solutions should come from Georgia, and not from Washington, via insiders and lobbyists.
The Representative's weak argument against a "standard" American workweek and his attempt to substantiate it by saying "Democrats are against families" is what drove the traffic and negative commentary towards the Representative's statement. I personally blogged with glee after reading his verbal misstep. Redirecting the argument towards the place of work, allowing Congress to phone-in or telecommute is certainly NOT what the people of America expect. The 110th Congress is going to be in session, meeting, which is what the people expect, don't they? Not home, not fundraising, but in session, doing the peoples' business.
I have a better suggestion. Rather than inviting a Capital Hill pundit to follow the Representative once, on one day, why not participate in the Sunlight Foundation's Punchclock Project, where Representatives pledge to post their public agenda in a completely transparent manner, so as his constituents (and others who financially support his future candidacies)can get thorough information as to how he spends his time representing the good people of the state of Georgia. I'm sure they'd love to have him.
It appears my comment requires approval or is in the spam filter. Well, whoever blogs for him didn't approve my comment on the post, although they did let a couple of critical comments fly.
As you may or may not recall earlier, I wrote about the Junior Senator-Elect from Virginia, James Webb, military veteran, former Secretary of the Navy in the Reagan Administration, and former Republican, one of only TWO Senators with a child serving in the military (USMC in Webb's son's case) had an incident at a private political affair with the "Commander-in-Chief".
A detail left out of many news reports was that Webb's son's company was involved in a firefight the week earlier, with the occupants of the tank next to his being killed.
Some of the DC Elite, along with the Conservative blogosphere tallied the score, and found that Webb had "lost" and that Dubya had "smacked him down". Conservative waterboy George Will wrote thusly in the WaPa:
That was certainly swift. Washington has a way of quickly acculturating people, especially those who are most susceptible to derangement by the derivative dignity of office. But Jim Webb, Democratic senator-elect from Virginia, has become a pompous poseur and an abuser of the English language before actually becoming a senator.
In describing the "incident", he judiciously omitted a portion of the conversation that TOTALLY changes the tone.
So the great enemy out there, besides gays getting married, bloggers, and islamofacists, is those of the far-left (ie. all Democrats).
I really, really wish someone would describe for me what this far-left boogeyman is, and what he wants. I try to figure it out from the "code-words" the right uses (tax and spend, cut and run, San Francisco values, Hollywood values, etc.) but not onlydo I not see them in the public sphere, I don't see it anywhere amongst my own value set, or amongst any of the blogs I read or my peers.
Who are these far-left liberals, and should I be afraid of them too?
On Monday, when the FBI raided the homes and offices of Rep. Curt Weldon's daughter and his close friend and political ally Charles Sexton, most media outlets cited an ongoing investigation into "whether the congressman improperly helped the pair win lobbying and consulting contracts." Rep. Weldon answered with the Foley defense: "unethical liberals exposed me right before the elections." Apparently, GOP corruption is minor compared to the FBI's supposedly short blue leash.
But Wayne Curtis Weldon's shady dealings are far darker than securing his daughter's future in the post-Soviet Union free-market-free-for-all. Besides personally vouching for businessses suspected of money laundering and Serbian associates of Slobodan Milosevic, Rep. Weldon sold property in DC to the manager of Kuwait Petroleum Corporation USA, the Washington-based government relations arm of KPC.
Overall, 59 percent of voters surveyed in a news media consortium series of exit polls yesterday expressed dissatisfaction or anger with the Bush administration; 36 percent said they cast their vote to express opposition to Bush, compared with 22 percent who were voting to support him. Fifty-six percent of voters support withdrawing some or all U.S. troops from Iraq, which will embolden Democrats pushing for a pullout.
