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Wednesday, November 02, 2005

Closed Door Shenanigans and Playground Politics 

[Update:] As more interesting stuff gets printed on Alito, I think even more people will begin to realize how qualified he is and how nuanced his politics are. Good articles here on abortion, here on filibuster and here for "crazy conservative" debunking. Also, it appears I have been comment spammed!

Today's stunning development in the constant PR war had a rather foul taste to it, if you ask me. I can't help but think of a tantrum-throwing child, defiantly grabbing onto bedposts and splaying across doorframes to prevent the inevitable deluge of soap and warm water. A closed door session is not something unheard of in the US senate (remember the other perjury indictment?). And certainly many thinking people on both sides of the isle, and both sides of the debate over the war, recognize the need for an open dialogue and ongoing examination of the war's conduct and merit. Those of us in favor, in particular, realize that there is nothing to hide. But knowing this makes today's move seem even more counter-intuitive, and Democratic leaders must be called out for their blatantly misleading conduct.
There are several gaping holes in the Democrats logic, as evidenced in their vague, and at times nonsensical, explanations.
Democrats say the move was prompted by "misinformation and disinformation" given by President Bush and his administration prior to entry into the war in Iraq.
...
"For a year and a half, we've been waiting for phase two," Durbin said. "You know there comes a point where we'll be in next year, it'll be too close to an election and this will once again just slip through our hands. I think we owe the American people some straight answers. We certainly owe the troops who are risking their lives every day straight answers."(emphasis is mine)

Now maybe I am the only one who can grasp anything coherent through the voluminous spout of nonsense pouring forth from Dick Durbin, but I fail to see how closing the doors to the senate and hiding the proceedings will inform the American people of anything. If you want the people to know the truth, show the people the truth! But that was never the intention of the closed session, as Harry Reid made clear:
"The Libby indictment provides a window into what this is really about: How the administration manufactured and manipulated intelligence in order to sell the war in Iraq and attempted to destroy those who dared to challenge its actions," Reid said on the Senate floor. "As a result of its improper conduct, a cloud now hangs over this administration."

Never mind that the Libby indictment had nothing to do with the conduct of the Iraq war. Never mind that the only charges leveled after two years of investigation were in regards to conduct during the investigation, meaning that there has yet to be any substantiated charges of wrongdoing involving the actual Valerie Plame incident. As usual, Reid has seized an opportunity to play on a poorly informed public, combining the indictment with today's PR stunt in an effort to paint the picture of an eroding case for war. Closing the Senate was about misinforming the people, and creating the illusion of conspiracies and secrecy on which Howard Dean style anti-war politics rely.
The timing reveals another, perhaps more important, motive for the move. With the nomination of Alito, a competent judge and an excellent choice, Libby is off the front page and Democrats again find themselves faced with a lose-lose situation. They either support the nominee and shave off a little more of their shrinking base; or filibuster and delay to the end, and ensure a permanent place on the sidelines of mainstream politics. With a strong economy (as evidenced by the utter lack of coverage in the MSM) and a seemingly successful judicial appointment, the Democrats have nowhere to turn for their gloom and doom but the tired rhetoric of "Bush lied, minorities and poor died."
Ironically, it is not hard to predict their reactions were Republicans to call a closed door session to discuss the Iraq war. It would only serve as proof to the rabid, conspiracy-driven left that a great miscarriage of justice was underway. Today's pathetic display of playground politics was no different, as it revealed the depths to which the left will stoop when it realizes it is outclassed, outgunned, and running out of time.

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