I don’t want to overreact here, and perhaps this is an off-base report by the Washington Post, but this is already looking like politics as usual:
But with control of Congress now secured, Democratic leaders have decided for now against implementing the one measure that would affect them most directly: a wholesale reorganization of Congress to improve oversight and funding of the nation's intelligence agencies. Instead, Democratic leaders may create a panel to look at the issue and produce recommendations, according to congressional aides and lawmakers.
As part of the first 100 hours, Pelosi pledged to implement all of the 9/11 panel recommendations. There were no caveats, no "Well, most of them, but we want to take a closer look at one or two of them."
More ranting on the flip...
No Democrats went on the record for this article, and maybe the Post is just pulling a Drudge. But if this is accurate, I don’t like it at all, because it smacks of protecting prime committee positions instead of doing what’s needed.
It may seem like a minor matter, but members of the commission say Congress's failure to change itself is anything but inconsequential. In 2004, the commission urged Congress to grant the House and Senate intelligence committees the power not only to oversee the nation's intelligence agencies but also to fund them and shape intelligence policy. The intelligence committees' gains would come at the expense of the armed services committees and the appropriations panels' defense subcommittees. Powerful lawmakers on those panels would have to give up prized legislative turf. (emphasis mine)
The 9/11 commission, the article continues, also called "strengthening congressional oversight ... among the most difficult and important" of its recommendations.
This pisses me off! If the Democratic leaders are going to start playing games from the very fucking beginning, I will not support them. Do they already forget how they returned to power?!
I’ve never done a poll, but here’s a simple one:
Am I overreacting, or are these folks already acting like lifelong politician wankers who need to be booted out of office?