My frustration level with the Congress has been building for months now. It started back in December, right after the election, when Speaker Pelosi took impeachment off the table, a move that yanked the teeth out of the body, without a sufficient denture order. In May, I was very annoyed with the big chicken-out on a timeline for withdrawing our troops from Iraq. Then there was the FISA reach around that happened just a couple of weeks ago. Come on people surely you must be joking. Finally, today, the new and improved deadline for receiving documents about warrentless wiretapping by the Senate Judiciary committee. It came and went with a whimper.
I have no more patience for this unbridled acquiescence. If this Democratic led Congress is to distinguish itself from the rubberstamp Republican Congress that preceded it, it must do something other than act as a rubberstamp Congress. That means holding the Administration accountable. That means holding the Administration in Contempt of Congress for their unwillingness to even respond to the reasonable requests of a body that is tasked with oversight.
This is about duty. This is about responsibility. This is about living up to the expectations of an electorate that overwhelmingly gave the Democratic Party the power to hold the Administration accountable for potential violations and abuse of power. This is a watershed moment for our Party.
The toothless response by the Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee must be followed up by real decisive action. Anything short of a Contempt vote is inadequate. There are two key reasons for this assertion: 1. Failure to address this blatant dismissal of oversight authority means that future legislators will be left with few real tools to conduct their responsibility. 2. By rolling over to the Administration, the Democratic leadership will prove, once and for all, that they are no different from their Republican counterparts to an electorate that is becoming less and less tolerant of their inaction every day.
It’s time we act, and act with the authority that is both vested in the Constitution, and given us by the people of this great nation last November, and hold this administration accountable in both houses of Congress. If we fail, it is not only a failure for our Party, but also a failure for America.
UPDATE: Video of the Press conference..
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