Nancy Pelosi: Can't win, don't try

Who knew that Nancy Pelosi would end up adhering to the Bart Simpson view of the universe? In the rarefied Washington air of the Speaker, the sure bet (sic) of winning the White House in 2008 trumps any attempt at holding this Administration accountable for its crimes against the Constitution and the American people. In other words, it's all about the party (and presumably the Benjamins). And if that means that George W. Bush and especially Dick Cheney are never held accountable for their crimes, well so be it. After all, what is the Constitution when compared to the coffers of the DSCC?

Martin Bosworth at Scholars & Rogues was on a blogger conference call with Pelosi, and recognizes what I do, and what you do, and what other bloggers know -- but what Pelosi and the Democrats in Congress either don't know or don't care to know: that an Administration that views itself as above the law can do plenty of damage in two years:

I understand how tough the political process is in the best of environments–and this is anything but. Pelosi is a new Speaker leading the Dems back to power for the first time in 12 years, and she’s a woman, so she gets the 20 percent sexism tax attached to everything she does. I get that. Bush has stacked the government so thoroughly with “loyal Bushies” at every level, in all three branches, that it will take years to get rid of them and undo all their damage. I get that too.

But at the same time, when you look at the sneering defiance with which the Bush/Cheney axis refuses to comply with even the basic tenets of law, or how they’re incapable of passing any sort of legislation without it collapsing under the weight of its own bullshit, or any one of a million other crimes that have been committed under the aegis of the Worst President Ever, you have to ask yourself, “What the hell are we waiting for? How much power can a guy with a historically low approval rating really wield?”

Plenty. Bush’s veto pen can kill all of the progressive, forward-thinking legislation Pelosi wants to push, and without 60 Senators on board to override a veto, that’s that. And do not doubt he will do it–the man has proven time and again that he simply does not care what others think, and will happily kill any legislation out of spite, ignorance, or just plain meanness.

Bush has almost two years left to do incalculable damage and to continue to sully and stain the future and reputation of our country. At a time when the nation’s mindset is leaning more progressive left than ever, and we have strong enough leaders in Congress and elsewhere to make the change, it’s tough to accept that impeaching Bush (and Cheney) for their flagrant violations of law and ethics can’t be done. Right now, they are in the way of making this country a better place.

Indeed, the biggest obstacles to turning this country around are in the White House right now. And when an obstacle is in your way, you find a way around it, or you go through it. If we can’t get around them, then they need to go.

This is all pretty disheartening when viewed in the context of the Administration's view that Congressional subpoenas regarding the illegal domestic wiretapping program are an "unfortunate choice of confrontation" on the part of Congress.

When the executive branch is as out of control as this one is, Congress has an OBLIGATION to hold it to account. If an appeal to a partisan Supreme Court overturns an impeachment attempt, or subpoenas, or whatever other Constitutional measures are taken to hold this bunch to account, so be it. But at least you have to TRY. Betting the ranch on a Democratic presidential win when guys like David Gregory are out there defending the likes of Ann Coulter and partisan Secretaries of State still have the power to withhold voting machines from minority neighborhoods is a sucker bet.