Hey, Congressional Democrats--especially the leadership...

[rateyes]

yeah, that means you, Harry & Nancy, Rahm & Pat, John & Henry...all you Speakers, and Leaders, and Whips, and Committee Chairs....

Do us, the loyal Democrats who put you in power, a favor:

DO NOT MAKE ANY MORE PROMISES THAT YOU EITHER CAN'T OR HAVE NO INTENTION OF KEEPING.

Don't say, "no more blank checks for the Iraq War" and then turn around and write blank checks for the Iraq War.

Don't say, "we will tie funding for the war with a mandatory timeline for troop redeployment," and then give Bush unlimited funds to keep our troops there forever.

Don't say, "I will not schedule a confirmation hearing for the Attorney General nomination without the White House complying with subpoenas," and then turn around and schedule a confirmation hearing for the AG without making damned sure you get what you subpoenaed.

Don't say, "We will hold a contempt vote on Miers, Rove, and Bolten when we get back from our August recess," only to recess again on October 8, without holding a contempt vote.

Just stop it. Quit talking like you have spines, and then demonstrate later that you don't. All that does is make those to whom you made those promises angry, and make you look like spineless, political cowards.

We are tired of your empty rhetoric.

Either put up, or shut up.

ON EDIT: Hey Nancy, the only promise I want you to break is the one where you said, "Impeachment is off the table." Nice. You keep your promise to the Republicans...but, to your base you say: "Screw off."

[Fredda Weinberg]

1. How infantile. Where would campaigns be without promises

and adults understand that not all attempts are successful. But that doesn't mean you don't promimse to try and follow through despite the painful consequences.

[rateyes]

2. Problem is: They can keep those promises...

they just won't do it.

[cali]

11. Problem is that's often not true.

And sometimes, as in Leahy's case, they simply make a mistake in tactics.

[rateyes]

14. Cali, go ahead and have the last word after my post to you...

I'm not going to give a pass to those who are all talk and no action. You go ahead and make excuses for them all you want. I'm tired of the excuses. I want my family members, and the rest of our military home from Iraq before they die for nothing.

The leadership has the power to defund this war. What they don't have is the courage to do it.

[leftchick]

26. it isn't about courage

it is about complicity. Here is an excellent reply to a rant on huffpost about pelosi...

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/darin-murphy/weak-has-a-face-and-its_b_66987.html

Neocon Nancy is not weak. She has bravely stabbed the electorate in the back, protected Dick Cheney while he spies on us, and kept the war profits flowing to her owners at the rate of a billion dollars a day.

She's not weak. Like all traitors, she's just a little bit nervous that somebody might figure out what she's up to.

[rateyes]

27. Wow. That hurts.

And, I'm glad.

[Individualist]

28. Exactly!

Too many people buy into the cowardice/blackmail excuse because they're in denial about the fact of complicity.

[rhett o rick]

31. They don't care if we figure it out. It is almost impossible to get rid of an imcumbent in your own

party.

[proud2BlibKansan]

37. WOW

Barbara Walters mercifully ended the proceedings, tidily wrapping up the interview with something like "Well, Democrat or Republican, it's not important. What matters is that you're the first woman speaker of the House, and that means a lot!"

Um, no it doesn't, sorry. It doesn't mean dick when we're gonna spend a generation cleaning up after a disastrous eight-year siege of our country that no one in power has the guts to end. Madame Speaker is no different than her Senate counterpart. Reid and Pelosi are two distinguished minority leaders promoted to their level of incompetence by a frustrated electorate. Neither of them is yet able to energize their parties into accomplishing anything they were elected to do, hence their dismal poll numbers and an unfazed president who will smirk and coast his way to blissful retirement.

[leftchick]

38. wow is right!

"it doesn't mean dick"! perfect! :)

[rateyes]

3. And, they don't try to follow through. nt

[Fredda Weinberg]

8. Please pay attention. Dems have proposed, even passed bills

but without veto proof majorities, they're in a governing bind, something we didn't have to deal with as an opposition party. Necessary bills must be passed, despite the negative consequences.

Other good things are happening: congressional oversight, min wage, even student loan reform. Please be patient for '08 - that's just the way American politics flows.

[rateyes]

10. Isn't that nice...

problem is---they pass other bills that they don't even have to bring up for a vote. Blank check....war funding without timelines...it all gets passed, when it should never see the light of day.

[rateyes]

12. And, in the meantime,

innocent children and our soldiers, marines...keep dying and being maimed for NOTHING but Dubya's ego. My patience has worn thin.

[robinlynne]

33. IN another thread, a soldier home from the war says they are not training the iraquis;

they are using our soldiers to protect KBR as they transport oil back and forth. That is what people are dying for. Don't defend those responsible for this. There is no defense. It is criminal. And I include Pelosi. It is criminal to care about 08 elections instead of stopping the war, just as it is criminal to start a war out of greed.

[rhett o rick]

35. So you say the glass is half full? I say the glass is broken. Look at your

examples of accomplishments: Congressional oversight is a laugh. The Democrats can't force the crooks to answer subpoenas. The Dems can't even keep nasty republican bills off the floor. While the republicans are marching together they have a good share of Democrats helping them. Give me an example of congressional oversight that has done anything.

Minimum wage, what a bloody joke. The republicans won that battle. What was it 25cents and hour raise? After years of nothing. Anything less than 2 dollars an hour raise is an insult.

Now I will hold off on judging the student loan reform because we need time to see if there will be any enforcement. Most likely not.

Even w/o veto proof majorities they should be speaking out loudly about the lose of habeas corpus, spying, etc. They are not even making an issue out of the repukes filibustering. They aren't forcing the cloture votes. No talk of nuclear option.

How many Democrats will support an invasion of Iran? They need to at least introduce legislation that makes it clear that they don't support escalation of the war into Iran.

I have no choice because other than token actions i am powerless. I can't unseat my incumbent Congress-critters. It is literally impossible to unseat an incumbent in your own party.

Sorry, I am just so very sick of what is happening. While we wait for 2008 we sink ever deeper into tyranny.

[T Wolf]

5. The OP response is the truth. They are not even trying to keep their

promises.

[GreenArrow]

29. Does that attitude toward promises apply

to our relations with our employers/employees? Our friends? Our families? Our children? Tell the suckers what they want to hear?

I've always found it good rule of thumb to not make any promises unless I intend to keep them. With precious few exceptions, these fuckers aren't even trying. With broken promises comes broken trust.

[robinlynne]

32. You've got to be kidding!

[proud2BlibKansan]

36. So lying is okay with you?

[dkofos]

4. And don't tell us what you want to do, listen to the people and DO

WHAT WE TELL YOU TO DO!!

[rateyes]

6. Exactly. They work for US....

we write their paychecks.

[dkofos]

7. I wish they knew that!!

[rateyes]

9. They would know it if we would vote them out, and replace

them with people who would work for us.

[cali]

13. Well, let me tell you something

Vermonters have 0 intention of voting Leahy out. And we're just about the most liberal constituency in the country. We voted him in last time with over 70% of the vote.

[dkofos]

15. And he knows it.

[cali]

17. Of course he knows it. He knows that Vermonters like the

way he represents us. We like that he's not a corporate fat cat who resides chiefly in D.C. We like that he fights for Habeas and against corporate profiteering. We like that he's honest. There's a lot to like.

[rateyes]

16. Yeah, and you have no intention of holding him to his word,

either. Thanks a lot. ON EDIT: That, cali, makes you an enabler.

[cali]

18. LOL.

and your position makes clear that you don't even have the most basic grasp of reality.

[rateyes]

19. Grasp this reality:

[cali]

20. I'm fully aware of that reality. It's why I've marched in D.C.

three times, written letters to the editor and met with my P&J group over the last 5 years.

But trust you to come up with a cheap shot that has nothing to do with the discussion about Leahy/Mukasey.

disgusting.

[rateyes]

21. It has EVERYTHING to do with Leahy/Mukasey...

you are the one who took the cheap shots..."ignorant bullshit" "no grasp on reality".....

THAT is the reality of not standing up and using your power to stop Bush and his minions.

And you're right: It's disgusting. I'm disgusted.

[cali]

22. As you're one of those who can do

nothing but slam every dem who isn't Kucinich, maybe this is the wrong site for you. Just a suggestion.

And Leahy has stood up to bush/cheney.

[rateyes]

23. You don't know what the hell you're talking about.

I have respect for a lot of Dems...Kucinich among them (and, I doubt he'll get my vote in the primaries)...just not for those who say they will do something they have the power to do, and don't do it.

[cali]

24. didn't Dennis say he was going to introduce a privileged

resolution to impeach?

[rateyes]

25. He said that he was considering it, and we'll see

if he does it or not.

He's already offered the motion...which, according to the rules, should have already been brought up. Nancy won't do it.

I hope he does. If he doesn't, he loses some of my respect.

I don't totally disrespect Leahy...but, I lose respect for those who lie to me by saying they will do something that is within their power to do, and then won't do it.

[robinlynne]

34. don't you dare.

[cascadiance]

30. Though the Rethugs claim we abuse it, THEY know how to use cloture, WE DON'T!!!

Nancy,

If you are truly serving the American people, there are certain bills that shouldn't get out of committee, whether you have to use that to keep bills from getting to the floor against the corporate Dem traitors or not. If you don't confront them, they will use you and you become part of the corporate machine! Break free from this ugly tale!

Likw others here have said, I don't buy that we're just stupid or "scared". I think each successive failure we have that SHOULD have provide something to learn from prove more and more that it is complicity, not incompetence that is at work here!

[Didereaux]

39. It's all caused by a calcium deficiency! n/t