Talking to Politicians Who Will Never Hear Me - 2

Nancy Pelosi

Take a tip from your friend Harry Reid and find a Congressional representative in the DC area to accept that damn bill from the White House and stop this pocket veto nonsense. Bush has made it clear that he doesn't believe that he has to uphold the Constitution of the United States. If the House does not accept the bill from the White House, Bush believes he can then declare Congress in recess and make recess appointments for Hans von Spakovsky to the Federal Elections Commission and Steven Bradbury to head the Office of Legal Counsel.

I've talked about von Spakovsky earlier and I'm not so sure that not having the FEC in action during a Presidential Election year is all that terrible. First, the FEC's decisions are not made in a timely (to me) fashion and since it will be 3-2 Republicans, just like the Federal Communications Commission, it might be less able to create mischief.

But Bradbury is a serious piece of work. He clerked for Clarence Thomas, says that the Supreme Courts ruling about military tribunals was incorrectly decided, thinks the Geneva Conventions language is vague and subject to uncertain and unpredictable application (it seems pretty clear to me and I'm not even a lawyer). He also advocated on behalf of the act which suspended habeas corpus, and wrote opinions justifying torture.

The only thing keeping Bush from appointing him was the Senate's staying in session. But now, if the House cannot accept the omnibus Defense Bill (with the $70 million without strings), Bush and his legal minnions will declare that Congress is at recess and that he can make these and other appointments.

Really, you must stop trying to please the Republicans. There is no pleasing them. They will only be happy when there is a complete and total dictatorship in the US with no chance of any opposition.