A while back we mocked the Congressional posturing on the NSA warrantless eavesdropping situation as reminiscent of the childhood game of "SPUD". You remember - in SPUD, a ball gets tossed in the air and everyone runs away. Wel, in Congress, responsibility and accountability get tossed in the air, and folks head for the exits.
In the latest go-around, Russ Feingold positioned himself nicely for 2008 by staking out a position only a certain segment of the left could love - "Hey, gang, let's censure the President for trying too hard to protect us!" NO, that's not what Feingold said! But its what polls say people are hearing, and you can't fight the polls if you're a Dem "leader".
Was it a surprise that Dems backpedaled? Of course not - talk is cheap, but votes are hard.
What's next? Per Matt Drudge, Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist plans to continue to chant "Bring it on". I imaging that any day now, Dems will respond, "We already brought it, did ya blink and miss it?" Or something.
MORE: More.
UPDATE: The Times describes the reaction of Senate Democrats to Feingold's censure proposal. (Ooops, bad link, try here). More shock and horror from the left with Greenwald and firedoglake, whose readers are urged to call their Senator:
Don’t let them hide in the bunker while Feingold is out there fighting.
Exactly! Don't let them position themselves for their political future when Feingold is out positioning himself for his!
For donks, when it comes to voting it'll be, "Fein-who"?
Posted by: Jimmy's Attack Rabbit | March 14, 2006 at 01:16 PM
I dunno Tom ....
Your guys seem to want to push this as a new Dem wedge issue, but I'll give you the "Bush is a real man for Breakin' the Law to protect us" meme if you explain
Dubai Ports, and
South Dakota (the "Coathanger" State), and
Sandy O’Connor on the “judicial activism” of Delay and Cornyn, and
the Zogby Poll in Iraq ("our troops don't support our troops?") and
Drezner Hart and Bartlett in the LA Times, and
Abramoff, we hardly knew ye, and
Claude Allen, our White House Katrina “quarterback”, at Target and ........
Speakin’ of polls, what is this I hear about a new low?
Posted by: TexasToast | March 14, 2006 at 01:29 PM
Dubai ports, explained :
"We don't want them Muslims owning our ports. But it's not because they're Muslim. Even though it is."
Posted by: Les Nessman | March 14, 2006 at 01:48 PM
Dubai ports, Dem's line: "Better, more enlightened racism than the GOP can provide."
Posted by: SPQR | March 14, 2006 at 02:59 PM
Which polls?
http://www.zogby.com/Soundbites/ReadClips.dbm?ID=12525
52% supporting impeachment? That poll?
Posted by: Davebo | March 14, 2006 at 04:19 PM
Davebo:
52% supporting impeachment? That poll?
Go for it.
House contact information:
http://clerk.house.gov/members/index.html
US senators contact information:
http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm
Talk the talk, do the walk.
SMG
Posted by: SteveMG | March 14, 2006 at 06:39 PM
Dana Milbank on the Dem fandango today:http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/03/14/AR2006031401519.html
Posted by: clarice | March 14, 2006 at 11:24 PM
Zogby. That's the same pollster who was telling us that things were looking good for president-elect Kerry around lunchtime on Election Day '04.
Take his polls with a deer-lick block of salt.
And man! I went to "firedoglake" and read the comments and could almost feel the feverish insanity rolling in waves from my monitor screen. Those folks are obviously terminal BDS sufferers. Bad news for them: The only cure is January 20, 2009.
Posted by: Clyde | March 15, 2006 at 10:53 AM
Hi ! Your site is very interesting. Thank you.
Posted by: Dominic | April 03, 2006 at 08:52 PM