DISQUS

Cpeterka · 1 year ago

Where were these idiots for the last 8 years ?

Bush Bites · 1 year ago

Kissing KKKarl Rove's big sweaty dogs.

1970cs · 1 year ago

I hope the Republicans that are still in Congress run with this 'quaint' idea of enforcing the rule of law, and beat Pelosi over the head with it repeatedly.

sherifffruitfly · 1 year ago

I see his bid for investigating the Preznit, and raise him an investigation of Congress' abdication of both their war-making power and their power of the purse.

Andrew · 1 year ago

Yes, it's "high time" now that Barack Obama is going to be president, the Congress should make sure to assert itself more often and be independent and equal. Not ever during the past eight years, but now.

It's all well and good to have Congress rightfully investigate the Bush administration's crimes (and, hell, anything that the Obama administration may do that's wrong), but this guy obviously just wants Congress to get in the habit of investigating things now that the Executive Branch is Democratic, not because he actually gives a shit about the Constitution.

Checking Wiki, he's an Oklahoma Republican and one of the three founding trustees of the Heritage Foundation. Yeah, I trust he's sincere about protecting the Constitution.

tbhull · 1 year ago

I doubt his motives but agree with his idea. Unfortunately the current Congress could never find the balls to satisfy its Constitutional role.

DougStamate · 1 year ago

Unfortunately, I have to agree with your comments concerning the true wishes of the writer of this piece.
And, as you say, Congress, no matter which party is in control, should always carry out its' Constitutionally mandated duties - including investigation and, if necessary prosecution of criminal actions.
Unfortunately, with what passes for "news" programs today, the average citizen rarely discovers that anyone has actually something illegal.
Unless it has been done to a toddler or a young white woman, of course.

tbhull · 1 year ago

Excellent, but get someone other than the feckless cowards that are a bucktoothed poor excuse for a male Waxman and the corrupt Conyers to lead these investigations.

Also "Congress has the obligation to examine whether laws were broken or new laws are needed" should be replaced by "Congress has the obligation to examine whether laws were broken and/or whether new laws are needed"

Older_Wiser · 1 year ago

The Wikipedia article also discloses that Edwards voted for Barack Obama. His wife is Elizabeth A. Sherman, Ph.D., a well-known Democratic political operative from Massachusetts, well credentialed.

Edwards was caught up in the House banking scandal and defeated by Istook in the early 90s.

RevDrBillyBob · 1 year ago

Under the Congressional leadership of Pelosi and Reid, such an idea is going nowhere. They will do everything they can to defend this Administration, as they have proven over and over again.

Older_Wiser · 1 year ago

Frankly, I don't care where the idea comes from, but that it comes from somewhere.

Just as I dropped my Democratic registration in 2007, I will remain unaffiliated until Congress itself gets the balls to exert the Constitutional authority it possesses, no matter who the president is. And just because the Rethuglicons ran them over during the Bush fiasco, it was no excuse for Democrats or anyone else not to even TRY to exert that authority. I would rather have seen them try and fail and get that on the record than to do nothing.

UncleGlenny · 1 year ago

http://consortiumnews.com/2008/111108.html

Older_Wiser · 1 year ago

Excellent. I learned something there. : )

jiminportlandoregon · 1 year ago

This is really a great post. However, I would have to disagree about how "vibrant" etc. many of the gay organizations are. HRC is a fucking joke as far as I'm concerned. They are all about show. I won't go on and on about them - although I have plenty of ammunition - but I do believe they are worthless as far as helping the community at large.

Ben Dover · 1 year ago

WTF is there to investigate? A better idea would be for arrest, gently encouraged confessions, fair trial and stood against a wall to await justice.
There is no doubt about what the Bush regime has committed, when it was committed, how it was committed and who committed it.
An "investigation" would only deny justice. Forever.

met00 · 1 year ago

too little too late. You had your chance. You dropped the ball. And now it should be left up to an independent entity to go over the last 8 years and hold people responsible for not following the law. If the Congress decides to grow some balls, it's too late to do so over the law breaking that went on for the last eight years. You screwed up. Now let a professional do the damn job that Congress failed to do.

tbhull · 1 year ago

OT -

After saying just a week ago before Congress he would not request the additional $350 billion from Congress, Paulson now wants Congress to grant Treasury the authority to spend the additional $350 billion of the bailout/wealthy handout.

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087...

It appears the rich whores that support the repubs are afraid they will not get an all you can eat taxpayer billions buffet under Obama. Get ready for CNBC's all out sales blitz trying to get this money out the door under BushCo or the world will end. Good luck to the little dandy sweet sissy bitch Kudlow.

These folks are the reverse Robin Hoods, steal from the poor and give to the rich. Someone please put them out of their misery.

Butch1 · 1 year ago

We know this is never going to happen thanks to Pelosi and Reid.

tarbaby75 · 1 year ago

Congress let it happen. Congress neglected its duty. Sadly, the voters failed to judge Congress.

An_American_Karol · 1 year ago

Unfortunately, our choices for Congress were between the corrupt and the more corrupt.

Paul Revere · 1 year ago

The same neo con players: Cheney, Rumsfeld, Wolfie, Armitage, et al, escaped justice in 70's with Viet Nam, in the 80's with Iran Contra and now this...If we don't bring to justice the law breakers, in 10 years or so, their up and coming neo con proteges will do the same thing or worse. The reason we have two wars, economic upheaval and all the other problems we have is because of the neo con criminals. Let 'em walk and they will be back in 10 years.

The reason Pelosi took impeachment off the table was she would have been implicated in the build up and lies of going into Iraq, torture, and many other criminal things the Bush crime family has done. She was briefed on it all as the leader of the dems in Congress and she did nothing to stop it . She is protecting her own ass.

I am not holding my breath for justice. Our democracy is toast.

scottinsf · 1 year ago

Agreed. I would also add that the pardon of Richard Nixon set a precedent that opened the door for subsequent administrations to blatantly break the law with impunity. Not holding the current criminals responsible makes the congressional leaders of both parties complicit.

truebluecoondog · 1 year ago

YES!!! Only when the swiftboat punk showed up was when I realized the players are all the same people. They laid in wait for a LONG time for their chance to muck everything up again. They got away with it before and THAT was NOTHING compared to this round of rampid corruption we have had to endure. This time, they came dangerously close to tanking the entire country. Let it go and set an even worse precident than Nixon. Bring it out into the daylight and FIX IT. Without accountability, we will never get our country back.

Indigo · 1 year ago

Yes, do that! Investigate, then prosecute, then punish.

HillbillyTN · 1 year ago

We really don't need such an investigation. Lets just declare them enemy combatants of our constitution and send them to Gitmo since it will be empty.

High Crimes & Misdemeanors · 1 year ago

How fuckin ODD - you would never hear this from the lips of the opposition party!!!????!!!???

Freddie · 1 year ago

But let's be sure to make it only a truth commission, ala Warren Commission and 9/11 Commission, where no one is charged with anything and certainly no one is ever punished in any way. And make sure that Coverup Lee Hamilton is put at the head of it, maybe along with Magic Bullet Specter.

sukabi1 · 1 year ago

sounds like someone's wanting to kneecap the Obama administration before it gets to try out Chimpy's training wheels..

LeftCoastOracle · 1 year ago

Hear Hear.

Nancy Pelosi is my congress member and I plan to email her urging that she ensure such an investigation takes place. But she is Speaker of all the House and I urge each of you to email or call her as well because she has a responsibility to see that there is accountability for the excesses of the Bush Administration. Failure to do so will leave a pernicious cancer on the body of our constitution that threatens to metastasize and overtake it in the future.

We ignore such a potentially fatal disease at the peril of our country.

red_dwarf · 1 year ago

Holding criminals accountable only occurs in a true democracy. We don't have that. Obama has already said his administration isn't about to indict anyone.

Just let 'em walk scott free. Who cares? Isn't that the new Ameircan mantra, "who cares?" History will see us as the cowards we are.

therepguy · 1 year ago

You think...

gonzalez · 1 year ago

It is amazing, now that we'll have a democrat in the White House, the republicans are all for investigations. Where were they when their man was breaking all the laws? For the asshole republicans, this is not about the rule of law, it is about the democratic party have the power!

IowaDem · 1 year ago

Hear! Hear! My concern is that Obama and friends are missing a major point and taking the political "let's all get along" view too far. If this administration and Congress fail to investigate and make legislative corrections for law-breaking it is not the public's approval that is the only thing at stake here. Our system of government that requires even our leaders to respect and follow our laws are what makes this country a beacon of light in a world full of cruel and corrupt regimes. Failure to enforce the law absolutely would make Congress complicit in all of the lawbreaking and would in effect rewrite our Constitution without the peoples' consent. We cannot allow them to undermine our country because of their political expediency.

LeftCoastOracle · 1 year ago

I hope you have expressed your sentiments directly to President-Elect Obama. We all have a responsibility to let our representatives know what our priorities are and what we expect of them. Failure to do that leaves us only the option of whining which, as we all know, doesn't accomplish much.

I urge you to email the President Elect and hold his feet to the fire. He is a thoughtful person who needs to know what we value, what our priorities are. Our form of government is a two way street and I hope you'll exercise your right to use it.

cwzilla · 1 year ago

I still dont understand how pelosi is still in office what were the ppl of S.F thinking?? we need real leadewrship in the house and senate I wish kucinich were that leadership and go after bush cheney and pelosi included then we will finaly find out what has happened to this country and the illegal things done in our name

LeftCoastOracle · 1 year ago

I hope you have expressed your sentiments directly to Speaker Pelosi. We all have a responsibility to let our representatives know what our priorities are and what we expect of them. Failure to do that leaves us only the option of whining which, as we all know, doesn't accomplish much.

I urge you to email or call Speaker Pelosi and hold her feet to the fire.

woodrich · 1 year ago

But to avoid confusing people, the headline should be "Former Congressman...."

sane37 · 1 year ago

how handy. Now that the GOP is no longer in charge. They want those in charge accountable, and to diminish the power of the Presidency now that they are not in charge.

GOP: Accountability for you, not for us.

savagemike · 1 year ago

I don't want to be the "Negative Nellie" here, but there is one major thing everyone seems to be forgetting. We, the American people, are somewhat responsible for this as well. Even if you didn't personally vote for GW, the fact is that the people voted, and he won the Presidency (in 2004, NOT 2000, but that's whole nother diatribe).
All I'm saying is that ultimately power lies with the people. The government exists because WE ALLOW IT TO. I'm not advocating revolution, but if there's something you don't like about the government, write your senator/congressperson, and VOTE VOTE VOTE