Some of us are still pinching ourselves to reassure ourselves that 2006 actually happened, and all of us are naturally looking forward to the 2008 elections. In the meantime the intransigence of BushCo and its toadies in Congress is giving us fits, as we try to get to the bottom of the Administration's rampant skullduggery.
The potential benefits of the investigatory processes for the 2008 elections are obvious. But on further consideration, the stubborn obstructionism of Repug Congresscritters may in fact lead to even more dramatic gains by Dems in the 2010 midterms.
Consider this scenario: the polls, campaign contributions, deteriorating conditions in Iraq, and the abysmal quality of the Republican presidential contenders suggest that in all likelihood we will have a Democrat elected POTUS in 2008, even if no more than a trickle of scandal is made public in congressional hearings this year. Once we get the reins of the executive branch, however, the Republican minority will have no capacity to impede the investigative process.
Now with all this citation of executive privilege, and contempt of Congress, and destruction of evidence and all that--to say nothing of the amount of politic heat the Bush folks are willing to take, and willing to let their allies in Congress take--we all KNOW that the Bushies must have a WHOLE LOTTA SHIT they are trying to cover up. (I don't know about you, but my mind is boggling already.) Well a lot if not all of this crap is going to come out sooner or later, with mid-level administrators spilling the beans to avoid obstruction of justice charges, and upper level administrators getting book contracts, and congressional and DOJ investigations going full throttle--this whole damn snake pit is going to get aired out. So much so that even WE will get tired of hearing about it.
And after all this shit hits the fan, and the words "the Bush Administration" have become synonymous with "oh yeah, those vile worthlcorrupt bastards", what do you think the public perception will be of these pathetic Congressional enablers who have voted the party line OVER and OVER again this year. My friends, they are going to get CREAMED. Every fucking district outside of rural Utah (and maybe there, who knows) will be up for grabs. Because their idiocy, their complicity, their own blind, incurious loyalty to the Mother of All Worthless Presidents (W, not Barbara) will be their demise.
These guys are sacrificing careers for a bunch of lame ducks that obviously think nothing of the damage they are causing their party. Pretty soon now at least some of these Congressmen are going to start figuring this out on their own, start wondering just what it is they themselves are covering up, and start worrying about 2010 as much as 2008. I predict you will see this happening first with the senators that are due to be up in 2010, especially when it becomes more evident that the Democrats are likely to take the presidency. And I foresee a very uncharacteristic midterm, in which the President's party makes substantial gains, rather than the usual "acceptable losses".