When GOP Leadership Fails

In politics, as in many areas, when leadership fails, there's scant hope that any soldier-like effort on the part of some number of would be followers can succeed in achieving a targeted goal.

House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.) complained directly to President Bush yesterday about the FBI raid, while House Majority Leader John A. Boehner (R-Ohio) predicted a constitutional showdown before the Supreme Court.

By foolishly invoking the Speech and Debate clause of the Constitution as grounds for argument over the reasonable search and any subsequent seizure from William Jefferson's Congressional office, the Republican House Leadership has displayed, not only its ignorance, but its arrogance, as well. And to undertake the folly at a time when two key issues, the war in Iraq and Immigration, are at critical junctures in time serves to highlight their horrendous lack of deliberate thought and ultimate judgment.

How pitiful. Were Boehner's advisers on a ballot somewhere I may have missed? Unfortunately, I don't think so. He makes himself sound like an absolute buffoon.

During his own briefing, Boehner joked with reporters that he was withholding his own strong reservations about the raid because of a staff request that he do so.

“I would like to say more, but I have been advised by my advisers that I shouldn't,” Boehner said.

The Speech and Debate clause has solid purpose. I believe its philosophical origin dates back to England and the persecution of the political by the crown. Yet, as we know, the Executive Branch acted, not on its own authority, but with the authority of the Judiciary as expressed with a warrant. But we aren't hearing that in the news.

Yet, still today these alleged defenders of our Constitution, Republican and Democrat, alike, would happily sit in session with an obvious criminal sitting as a member of its Committee of Ways and Means. What a disgrace.

The House Republican Leadership has failed to display anything like the competency and good judgment America needs, especially in times like these. They and this Congressman crook Jefferson should promptly step down.

Comments

[bryce]

This is from blisteringcheese.com, but I think it shows the problem with the republican party:

For the past few years I have been decrying the influence that the Dobsons and the Falwells have had in this administration. When Dobson was called in to vet Bush’s SCOTUS nominees I was outraged, but the Bush defenders acccused me (as usual) of being anti-Christian. Well, you all owe me a big fucking apology.

Bush, a president who has shown that he has absolutely no respect whatsoever for the law and the Constitution, illegally acted to get the .xxx domain pulled to appease a couple of fundamentalists. My guess is because Dobson threatened to withhold support for the GOP in the elections. The interesting thing is that this shows, clearly, what the agenda of the religious right is. They don’t want to have a policy whereby children are protected from porn as much as possible, which is what the .xxx domain would have done. They want porn to be abolished entirely, and they’re willing to do anything (like keep kids exposed to porn online) rather than sign on to a common sense, simple solution like the .xxx domain. And our president, like the sheep he is, kneeled down and kissed Dobson’s ring like a good little bitch.

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[Stella]

I would like to extapolate Hasert's contention that the "...raid on Rep. William Jefferson’s (D-La.) congressional office over the weekend was a direct violation of the Constitution." to include another office - the OVAL one. If Hasert's and his cohorts' contentions are correct, weren't Clinton's Constitional rights directly violated by the impeachment hearings? What happens in the Oval Office stays in the Oval Office? Hell, if they're going to allow an accused criminal use the Constitution to hide behind - what's a little stain on a dress?