Who is surprised that Harriet Miers refused to even show up to state her name in front of the House Judiciary Committee? Anyone? Anybody? Let's do a Wolf Blitzer show of hands. Hello? Didn't think so. Nobody here should be even remotely surprised that Ms. Miers didn't show up. It is all part of the strategy of running out the clock.
Aside from the lack of surprise that I, as well as all readers here, should feel, as this is nothing more than just the status quo for this administration, isn't this move just another step in the process of running out the clock?
A successful strategy of running out the clock means inserting as many roadblocks as possible. Of course the White House knows "absolute immunity" is absurd. However, most Americans probably do not, or don't care, and, more importantly, it will take the people that do care time to sort out the the ramifications and consequences. If Congress now spends a day or a week or a month or six months figuring out what to do with Harriet Miers, it is a day or a week or a month or six months that it is not figuring out what to do with George Bush and Dick Cheney.
It's just stalling. So I suggest we drop the shock and indignation, which succeeds only in amusing these criminals. The administration already knew the response to "absolute immunity:" Investigate. Figure out what it means, what can be done, how it can be done, how it should be done, which way to do it is most politically beneficial yet expedient. They don't care, it's more hours and days and weeks until November 2008. Actually, probably more like June 2008, or even April or May, because by then the nominees will probably be known and real accountability will be listed in the index of the history books under the heading: embarrassing absence of.
When the media talks about the absence of a unified Democratic Party, half the time they are referring to the ADD that grips this party. We'll jump on anything the Repubs do and try to make an issue out of it. Yes, that is important to do. But at this point, let's just definitively decide what we are trying to accomplish before the next election and do it. That might be impeachment of either Bush and/or Cheney and/or Gonzales, it could be ending the war in Iraq, it could be finding as many members of the administration in contempt of Congress as possible (assuming they all refuse to respond to any subpoenas), it could just be cementing the fact that the next President will undoubtedly be a Democrat. I don't care, but let's quit being surprised by what these crooks are doing and start being productive.
From now on, we're replacing the bumper sticker that reads: "if you're not outraged, you're not paying attention," with a new bumper sticker:
"If you're still outraged, you haven't done enough to stop them."