Are You About Anything?

That's my question to the Democrats allegedly representing me in Congress. Are you about anything more than staying in Washington and playing silly games because you get good baseball tickets and people are always throwing you fancy dinners? Agree or disagree with him, Feingold is taking a stand. A political stand, to be sure, but also one of principle indistinguishable from what he's been saying for 5 years. And with a massively unpopular President running an even more massively illegal black-op what do you do? You snipe anonymously from the sidelines.

I can almost understand Republicans like Hagel, Snowe and Specter acting like invertebrates. Sometimes you have to take one for the team. While I might quibble with this being that 'one' (actually, I think I'm a few steps beyond quibbling, but my forehead hurts so I can't be sure), there is at least a covinving tactical rationale for doing so.

What's the rationale for the Dems here? Aside from abject paralysis in the face of the mighty Bill Frist?

Personally, I don't give much of a crap about the electoral impact of supporting the censure for several reasons. First, it's March. Methinks there will be a few storylines between no and then. Second, if it's all about winnerism, then we are no better than they are, and deserve to govern less, because at least they have the balls to take a shot. As Northwestern State will tell you, crazy shots sometimes go in.

I'll accept as fact that these are politicians, so electoral impact is no lower than #1a on their priority list (some combination of money, power and sex being #1 in some cases.) But how can standing up and fighting, especially when you are right work worse than the tactic of 'hey you voted for these guys, look how bad they suck?' A 'tactic' which has gotten us (and by us, I mean the country)

into one (bungled) war, the rumblings of another in Iran, a disastrous disaster response, a drug package that is quite possibly worse than that for anyone without Pfizer stock options, and active disenfranchisement of minority voters in Texas and Georgia.

and that was only through January. And lost both elections as well, I might add. Not to mention that we are a few short months away from another round of 'family values' rhetoric to appeal to the lesser angels of the GOP base's nature.

Look, people want to mix it up here

Initially, 22% of Democrats had a favorable opinion of him while 16% had an unfavorable opinion. However, knowing he advocates censure, Feingold's numbers within his own party jumped to 52% favorable and 14% unfavorable.

So not only are they sticking fingers in the air to determine what to do, they can't even judge the direction of the wind properly. I am filled with confidence.

On second thought, what he said. As I descend into Angry Leftism, pushed not by the GoP, but by my own putative allies. Et tu, Kerry?