We often hear the comment that congressional Dems are "spineless", that they cave in to Bush on important issues. We have even seen them actively supporting Bush policies while offering feeble excuses for their behavior. During their first year in the majority, we have seen congressional Dems consistently fail to deliver the action they promised. Many seem to have suddenly changed their stripes once they became part of the majority. Congressman Conyers was beating the drum for impeachment of Bush and Cheney until Dems became the majority. Now he is actively obstructing impeachment efforts.
What is behind all of this? How do we make sense of it? For some speculation on this point, follow me below the fold!
What Do We Know?
- We know that Sibel Edmonds has made some very serious allegations, which include allegations regarding high profile House Democrats, and we know that Congressman Waxman has failed to hold hearings on those allegations.
- We know that congressional Democrats have refused to issue contempt citations against those who fail to respond to subpoenas.
- We know that some Democratic Senators are fighting hard for telecom immunity, something which would preclude any court action.
What do these actions have in common? What they have in common is that each of them prevents facts from becoming known to the electorate.
Why would congressional Democrats want to keep facts hidden? Well, what is the motive when anyone wants to keep facts hidden? They want to hide something. They want to hide something that they either did or failed to do because such exposure would hurt them in some way.
What We Don't Know
How much time do you have? We know very little because of the Bush culture of secrecy but not JUST because of the Bush culture of secrecy. As we can see from the above, congressional Democrats are failing to take action to strip away that secrecy. In fact, they are doing everything in their power to preserve that secrecy through inaction. Why? Are congressional Dems, in fact, protecting themselves?
Self-Preservation
Now there's a strong instinct! Would self-preservation be a logical explanation for the behavior of congressional Dems? Would it fit as a reason for all of their contrary and apparently illogical behaviors? I think so.
No Conspiracy
This isn't a conspiracy theory. This is quite simply political "business as usual". With Dems having a good shot at the presidency and the possibility of picking up seats in Congress, who would want anything "controversial" coming out before the elections? It would fit "political logic" to at least delay exposure until after the elections.
Blackmail?
Some diarists have wondered out loud if Bush was by some means blackmailing Congress. Perhaps it's Bush who is threatening to expose the secrets of Congress rather than Congress threatening to expose the secrets of Bush. It's the old concept of, "If I go down, you go down too!" Who has more to lose? Bush is a lame duck but Dems have the possibility of gaining big in November. A "scandal" would have no impact on Bush but a huge impact on hopeful Dems. Who would take the big hit?