The Next Democratic Capitulation?

It's like clockwork isn't it. Go read Glenn Greenwald, and (as always) prepare to be outraged at another big sloppy Democratic kiss for George W. Bush.

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Are Democrats planning still worse FISA capitulations?

"..the very idea that the Bush White House would be able to force enactment of FISA legislation once Democrats controlled the Congress would have seemed unfathomable, at least to many people. But after watching the Democrats meekly sit by and allow abolition of habeas corpus and then, when in control of Congress, grant the President vast new surveillance powers without receiving anything in exchange, it is inescapably clear that there are no limits on the willingness of Congressional Democrats to enable the President's worst excesses. If this NYT story is accurate and they really do intend to provide this retroactive immunity, their joint responsibility for most of the excesses of the Bush administration will be virtually complete.."

Exactly.

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Democrats Surrender: Agree to Buy Kneepads

This is just mind boggling that the Democrats would knuckle under to Bush(mister 25%) on ANYTHING, much less putting Bloody dubya and Abu Gonzalez in charge of who gets spied on without a warrent. You know who will be first to be spied on? Those "surrender monkey" Democrats of course. Or maybe it's already been done. At least that would explain why there's an epidemic of Democratic politicians losing their balls. How 'bout it Jim Web did you happen to get a little folder with some embarrassing info or pics? Secret dossiers on all the Democrats would sure come in handy for Dick "Dick" Cheney and dumbya's errand boy alberto. Once again a circular firing squad by our pitiful Democrats. Here's some points from Kagro and Kos:

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There is something fundamentally wrong here.

"..And of course, at this point it should go without saying that if a bill is placed before you that addresses additional powers and authority for the Attorney General, of all people, this is a full stop moment.

The vote on this bill is no. The vote on any bill expanding the powers of this Attorney General is no.

These are things I should not have to outline for anyone at this point. Certainly not Daily Kos readers. But you'd hope Members of Congress, too. But apparently, in that hope you'd be disappointed.

Still, these are merely the surface issues. There's something deeper and even more troubling going on here. What's happening here is the ceding of the last remaining prerogatives of the legislative branch to the executive. We are currently watching the Congress cede its oversight authority -- not its ability to hold hearings, but its ability to make hearings mean something. We may be watching the Congress cede its "power of the purse," as George W. Bush now threatens to veto any appropriations bill that does not match the numbers in his budget. (You need to know that the president's budget has almost never been the working model for Congress. The traditional reaction to the president's budget, no matter whose it is or even who's reacting, has been that it's "dead on arrival.") Now we are watching the Congress cede even its legislative powers, reacting to Bush's threat to keep them in session until they pass the exact FISA legislation he demands.

Does this comport with any American's concept of the basic functions of the different branches of our government? Since when does the president dictate the terms of legislation... to legislators?

Since they started rolling over for it, that's when.."

..More

What's Changed
109th Congress: Rubber stamp Republicans
110th Congress: Rubber stamp Democrats
-Magnifico(Kos)

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