Is it really just hopeless?

David: Interesting. But how do they know that 10% are recidivists? Do they stay in touch? I agree, what about the 90% (who probably didn't do anything in the first place)?


Remember all the tough talk about how the House and Senate were going to investigate the question of illegal warrantless wiretaps? Well, forget about it. Republicans, being led by Senator Pat Roberts, the Chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, have killed any investigation, at least for now. There is some talk they will do it later but don't hold your breath. Roberts is clearly a toady for Bush and has done everything he can to protect and serve. This is just another example of the Senate's failure to excercise their responsibility to oversee the Executive. They just give up time after time. Democrats seem to be just as useless as Republicans, perhaps even more useless, if that is possible. We have a genuine crisis of leadership in the United States, both Republican and Democratic. Someone has to step up and put an end to this endless lying, secrecy, power-grabbing, dishonest, greedy, short-sighted, incompetent administration. And it had better happen soon or it may well be too late.

Cheney now claims that he has the authority to declassify secrets or whatever whenever he wishes. There is apparently some kind of memo that Bush signed that gives him this authority, and more. I don't know the truth about this but it appears that Bush may have signed over the Presidency to Cheney, sounds like the kind of idiocy Bush might have engaged in. Does the President have the authority to do something like that? We know that Bush doesn't really want to be bothered with being President. Stay tuned.

Russ Feingold is single-handedly trying to stop the outrageous Patriot Act from being renewed. The Senate apparently voted 96 to 3 to not support him. Apparently there is supposed to be some kind of compromise that makes the Patriot Act more palatable. In fact it does nothing but let Senators claim to have done something (when, in fact, they have done virtually nothing). Let's face it, the Senate has completely abdicated its responsibily to oversee the President. They just go along with any outrageous claims the Executive Branch makes. Senators might as well not even exist. This is what we elect them for?

Where is Patrick Fitzgerald when we desperately need him? What happened to Tom DeLay? Bill Frist? Jack Abramoff? Karl Rove? Gannon/Guckert? The Plame affair? Does anyone remember any of this? I guess not, especially when there are much more important stories like Cheney's accidental shooting. And oh, yeah, last week a tree fell on a trailer in California. And yesterday a bus crashed somewhere. And a dog wandered off and got lost. Just stay tuned to CNN if you want the really important news. I am beginning to think it really may be hopeless. Sigh!