They say "a word to the wise and a cudgel for the obtuse." I say it's time to get out the "smart" stick and start citing people for contempt of congress. That will get their undivided attention. And no.... the President does not get to pardon your butt if you are cooling your heels in prison on a contempt of congress rap.
Anyone who has dealt with delinquents, especially recidivists, knows that sometimes you gotta get up in their grill and be all about their business in the here and now if you want to keep it real and get their undivided attention. Until they internalize the rules of ethical behavior, warnings about potential future consequences are just noise. They know you will get tired of talking sooner or later. Then they can go back to whatever they were doing before they got caught.
That's why I say screw the "power of the purse." That may hurt you in the future. But we're dealing with knucklehaids who think that's an empty threat. They believe that because previous chairmen let them get away with murder. Things need to change.
I say we start with Gonzales and Mueller; they're overdue.
In the last 40 years there have been something like seven or eight contempt of Congress citations issued for Cabinet-level officials. Only one resulted in a citation from the entire House of Representatives.
Remember James Watt? The Secretary of Interior who said God had mandated we use the resources as fast as possible before the Rapture? He was one of them... the House Energy and Commerce Committee held him in contempt in 1982 for refusing to turn over subpoenaed documents.
His successor, Anne Gorsuch Burford, was held in contempt by the full House over the same issue. But the House rescinded the order when she complied with the subpoena.
Given the criminal behavior going on today, that is quaint. What an idea! Who knew you can get hit with contempt of congress charges for refusing to turn over subpoenaed documents? Now I realize that if we set the bar that low, DC would have to put a lot of crack dealers and gang bangers back on the streets to accomodate the influx of privileged administration cronies. But that ironic fact by itself should be a major clue to you of just how far out of control things have gotten.
So fine, let's start with the guys who actively misled congress. Let's make them examples for the rest of the good little apparatchniks who are "just following orders" when they refuse to comply with congressional subpoenas. I think it is time to let them know we are through scanning the horizon for mythical threats while they plunder the treasury and wipe their ass with our Constitution. Who the hell are they kidding?
Gonzales is called on the carpet to explain the issue of illegal searches and he says... "we ain' doin' nuthin." Then he gets caught red-handed and thinks he can get away with "sorry 'bout that" and no one is going to follow up? If he seriously believes that, then I think the man needs to be tested for drugs. He may think the Constitution is quaint and an historical relic that doesn't pertain to his job as America's Top Cop. He'd be wrong.
Republicans were happy to threaten Reno with contempt of congress, so they can shut up this time around. We're not talking about who's buttering up who for political patronage. We're talking about who is authorizing torture? Who is invading our homes to spy on us? Who is hiding the ball when it comes to leaking the names of CIA operatives? Who is breaking the law and telling us to trust them? It's time for those people to take their medicine.
This administration has no problem telling senators to "go fuck yourself"... to their face .... with no consequences. And you wonder why their proxies feel safe calling you faggots? It's because they think congress is a joke. This is what happens when you let delinquents punk you without consequences. The previous crew didn't do their job so now it's going to be tougher for the new leadership. That's just the way it is. Suck it up. After yesterday's revelations I think congress has two options:
- It can reprimand, it can call for reform, it can empanel commissions to study, or
- It can take the gloves off and defend the Union.
If they go with option #1, I think history will have as much contempt for congress as we have for this administration.