The time has come to look back. Below is a diary that was written the day of Madame Pelosi's Inauguration; its words were true then, and seem even more relevant tonight. The Democratic Party has not taken advantage of the opportunities that we have given them through our hard work and our campaigning.
This diary was read on the radio by Mike Malloy the day it was written; the email responses were about four-to-one in favor of the sentiments. Many of the responses to the diary when it was initially posted were quite negative and suggested that "I wait and see what happens". Well, I have waited, and what I have seen, especially this past week, is truly nauseating.
Put down the champagne, Nancy
We have had enough back-slapping and enough self-congratulation. You have a 100-hour plan. Go ahead and attempt implementation of those items. I believe you will fail to do anything but end up compromising too much, and the first 100 hours will lack the significant bite that we would like to see; but, you seem intent on it, so have at it. You are under the illusion that you need a consensus with the enemy party to act, and that is simply misguided and wrong.
This diary outlines a better plan that could be achieved in a single afternoon of work by your staff and yourself. No Republicans required.
I. IMMEDIATELY DRAFT A JOINT-RESOLUTION STATING THAT IT IS THE SENSE OF CONGRESS THAT THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES DOES NOT HAVE THE AUTHORITY TO EXPAND THE GLOBAL WAR ON TERROR TO THE COUNTRIES OF IRAN AND SYRIA WITHOUT EXPLICIT APPROVAL OF BOTH HOUSES
II. ORDER INVESTIGATIONS BY JOHN CONYERS'S JUDICIARY COMMITTEE FOR VIOLATIONS OF THE WAR CRIMES ACT OF 1996 BY SENIOR MEMBERS OF THE BUSH ADMINISTRATION
III. ORDER INVESTIGATIONS BY A SUB-COMMITTEE OF THE HOUSE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE INTO WAR-PROFITEERING AND TREASON BY VENDORS INVOLVED IN IRAQ, E.G., HALLIBURTON, BECHTEL, AND CACI
IV. IMMEDIATELY CREATE A JOINT-RESOLUTION OF CONGRESS THAT INCORPORATES SENATOR FEINGOLD'S SENATE BILL CALLING FOR THE IMMEDIATE REDEPLOYMENT OF OUR TROOPS AND SET A DATE IN THE NEXT TWO WEEKS FOR A TWELVE-HOUR DEBATE AND A VOTE ON THE RESOLOUTION
V. SET A DATE IN THE NEXT TWO WEEKS FOR A TWELVE-HOUR DEBATE, FOLLOWED BY A HOLDING-OFF OF THE VOTE FOR AN INDEFINITE TIME, ON REPRESENTATIVE RANGEL'S BILL REGARDING THE DRAFTING OF EIGHTEEN-YEAR-OLD CITIZENS TO SERVE IN THE MILITARY
VI. IMMEDIATELY DRAFT AN AMENDMENT TO THE DETAINEE TREATMENT ACT OF 2006 DELETING ALL OF THE EXISTING LANGUAGE AND INSERTING LANGUAGE THAT RECOGNIZES THE PRIORITY OF THE GENEVA CONVENTION, COMMON ARTICLE IV, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES
Speaker Pelosi, you have that title for a reason: The American people want a change, and not an incremental one. I do not want to here the word consensus from you, or any other member of your Party, for at least six months. You have an entire list of strictly partisan activities to complete. There is absolutely nothing that the Republicans have that you need. Send them all back to their dark caves where they belong, and get your own party in order.
Finally, never forget that you are there to stop this Administration in its murderous tracks. You must be vigilant. If you do not act quickly, effectively, with passion and strength, you will once again become simply Representative Pelosi, and your one chance at making an historic difference will become merely a footnoted failure in a much larger battle to take back this country from the vermin in the White House and return it to its people and to their Constitution. Someone with greater passion will replace you, and no one will mind your leaving, but all will remember your failure.