I was catching up on my reading at Huffington Post this a.m. and while reading David Bromwich's column, I stopped cold at this paragraph:
The trouble is that Cheney and Bush are happy to divide the country. They mean to play their terrible hand to the end; and they do not take no for an answer. Compromise with them, and you are the one who is compromised. The statement by Dick Cheney in January 2007, about the impact of the election on his plans for the Middle East, showed the curious streak of frankness that marks his political character. "It won't stop us," he said.
For some time now, I have wondered what is the point to this massive power grab, this disregard for the Constitution, this neutering of Congress and takeover of the judicial branch.
What is the point if Bush and Cheney will no longer be the administration after January of 2009?
I just don't believe these two men are considering the long-term power of Republicans. I have a hard time with the idea that men will accumulate power for the benefit of others, while they quietly retire to Paraguay, or wherever Bush's new ranch is.
Iraq is not the only center of constantly shifting excuses. Didn't we think if we could just get control of the House and Senate that Democrats would stop this crazy thing? Now what . . . if we can just get a larger majority and maybe the White House, we'll finally stop this crazy thing? Meanwhile, Democrats just keep handing over more and more power - arguably not to the executive but to these two men and their minions.
For five years now, I've been half-jokingly telling my friends that there will be no elections in 2008. Sometimes I see people, even here at kos, half-jokingly tossing out the same idea.
But again, what is the point to accumulating so much power, just to hand it off to whomever comes along? To hand it off at all?
And if their intention is not to hand it off, do we even have the slightest idea what we're going to do about it?
Wishful thinking will take us only so far. What are our real options?