2006

John Kerry sends out a mass e-mail saying John Roberts is not right for the Supreme Court.

MoveOn.org has their obligatory petition festooned on their homepage to tell the Senate not to approve John Roberts.

The DNC's lead story is John Roberts. So is The Nation's. Same at Salon. And the story is dominating ThinkProgress.

Bringing up the rear is John Conyers who is probably ordering a petition for his website as we speak.

This is all very, very noble. And I'll add another word to it.

BORING.

And predictable as hell. All these petitions, petitions and more petitions and all these cries of horror are the exact things we were expected to do - because we were talking too much about Karl Rove's revenge on war preventers, done on Bush/Cheney's behalf.

So instead of that, we're talking about a guy who was rushed to the podium before he could even finish tying his necktie because Bush said he's his #1 choice for the Supreme Court. Some #1 choice. As mediocre as Bush's record.

But he did succeed in derailing the biggest White House scandal since long before Clinton's blowjob.

The consensus is that Bush timed this for just that reason. Roberts happened to be standing in the right place at the right time. Maybe Rehnquist pushed him into Bush's office. Maybe he had paper over rock. Maybe he was caller ten. Whatever.

John Roberts is a very undistinguished choice. And he's small potatoes. He's anti-Roe v. Wade, but despite that and Roberts' wife's activism against abortion, it ain't going anywhere. John Roberts is a flea.

We have a bigger fight to fight than this nebbish. We have to stop this administration. For failing in Iraq. For failing us on 9/11. For fostering the American vs. American mentality. For failing us on truth and honesty.

I'm not going to sign any petition against John Roberts. It's a waste of time. It's a waste of bandwidth. If Bush wants his legacy to be a human speed bump like John Roberts, so be it.

No petition will take the place of solid tough questioning by our representatives when this guy is paraded before them. They must do their jobs. That's what I want them to do. That's what I elected them to do. I don't want emails from senators. I want results from senators.

If the guy can pass muster, fine. If he doesn't, I'll trust them to do the right thing (I'm blessed with Barbara Boxer and cursed with Dianne Feinstein, so I live in a coin flip). I trust they will make their decision out of conscience and not out of another of a succession of back-room deals.

I am sick and tired of the spokespeople of our side taking our eye off the ball and taking the bait. Another flurry of petitions isn't going to do anything except dilute our message.

I want to devote my energy and effort to making the sweeping changes in 2006 to make sure George W. Bush's - and Dick Cheney's - free ride comes to a screeching stop. I want to back their runaway train back into the station and shut it down once and for all.

Whatever happens between now and then can only add to our ammunition. God knows they've fucked up everything for the last five years. I can wait another ten months.

2006. That's my focus. That's my goal. Call me crazy. I don't care about winning these little exhibition games. I want to win the big one.

Ripping the lid off the CIA treason scandal is a great start. Take it right to the top. Hold these bastards accountable for once in their sorry careers. And if they stonewall, if they smirk, if they make a stink - keep hammering until they bleed. Make them - MAKE them - tell the truth for once.

3000 citizens on 9/11, 1700+ dead troops in Iraq, hundreds of thousands killed and maimed around the world are all asking, "WHY?"

It's time we got some goddamned answers. If we don't get them, the answer is impeachment.

There's only one way there, people. 2006.

2006.

Comments

[vana]

I agree 2006 is the MOST IMPORTANT ISSUE OF ALL. But the Supreme Court is also important. This guy along with the other Justices will have the most powerful voice of all...They will determine what rights we have and do not have. More over politicians come and go but the Justices are there for life and this guy being 50 years old, he might end up being there for up to 35 years.

Note: I also agree that Karl Rove is also important! But we can do more than one things at once. I do not believe that the Karl Rove will go away, not so long that the prosecution is going on.

[kali yuga]

I agree.

[kali yuga]

The bottom line: you're not going to get an acceptable Supreme Court judge from Bush. Whether it's Roberts or someone else, whomever he ultimately puts on the court will be nothing but a corporate shill. Besides which, the shitbag Democrats don't have the balls to do what it'll take to stop every Scalia clone Bush has in his bullpen.

I'd much rather see the Turdblossom Affair hammered home until no one can even think about the name "Bush" without also conjuring the word "treason."

[Arthur Riddick]

Agreed.

Let's keep sticking the 'traitor' label on Rove and his puppet(s), and let the whole rotten party go down in flames with 'em.

[Bonnie, Wheaton, MD]

I'm with ya, Hoff! I only have so much energy and I prefer to spend it on putting a traitor behind bars and 2006. How can any American trust the security of this country to people who give up CIA operatives for petty political reasons??!! They and their power comes first before the safety of the country. All Republicans who support treason over the safety of the country should be voted out as soon as possible. Rove is a National Security crisis.

[still standing]

Hoff---

Agreed. A thousand times agreed. What type of nominee did we expect from Bush?

I'm all for the Senate Dems thoroughly checking his record, and vetting him as agressively as possible. His more odious positions (re: validating the arrest of the child in DC for the "french fry" crime, and his dismissal of the Gulf War I vets complaints) should be exposed so that the general public knows exactly who he is and what he (and the "compassionate conservative" gimmickry really means).

But as was noted, we have NO HOPE of an acceptable SCOTUS nominee as long as Bush is in office and we are outnumbered in the Senate by 55-45--no matter how many petitions are signed, and how many ads MOVE ON sponsors. Unless a showstopper revelation about Roberts comes to light, there is NO HOPE of stopping his confirmation. And even if it is stopped, who will be named to replace him? A moderate?!?! A liberal?!?! It will be someone as bad, or worse.

The way to start is to not waste energy or capital on futile battles. Democrats/progressives had BETTER figure out a way to start winning national elections, and being in a position to truly influence who gets on the bench.

Until then, fretting about John Roberts, while understandable--and about all that we CAN do--is a complete waste of time.

[Carlene]

Nice commentary, Hoff. I'll post it on DU.

[DickWeed]

Well hopefully the Dems in congress aren't like the media and can only focus on one thig at a time. They may not be the majority but they have enough folks up there where some could hammer 24/7 on Rove and some could hammer 24/7 on Roberts and so on. Even if every issuse is not front and center in the news it still needs to ne addressed by congress. I mean, it is their job.

[kali yuga]

"Well hopefully the Dems in congress aren't like the media and can only focus on one thing at a time. Even if every issue is not front and center in the news it still needs to ne addressed by congress. I mean, it is their job."

Democrats doing their job. Now there's a novel idea . . .

[Jill]

What you said.

[Mary]

Yes, Yes and Yes. We are doing exactly what the Repugs set us up to do - chasing wild bullets.

[Dennis P]

Fool me once; shame on you.
Fool me twice; shame on me.
Fool me over and over again; I'm an elected Democrat or part of the media.

You're right; the only way to get Bush and co. sitting under the lights at a long
table is to re-take Congress.
All this other stuff is just pissing in the wind.

[LAWTON WATSON SPRINGDALE ARKANSAS]

I'm so glad the "magnificent seven" saved the filibuster for us. Boy what a victory. this was an easy out for the democrats and they took it. Just look at what we are getting in return . Four of the most dispicable human beings ever to sit on the bench. The Apellent and Supreme court is pretty well sewed up by Bush now as soon as the old man retires.

[kali yuga]

Let's be honest. None of this matters, because the Democrats are simply never going to do their job. We're going to have to burn entirely to the ground.

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