Congress confronts the White House

Carl Hulse, in tomorrow's New York Times, writes convincingly about the growing rift between Congressional Republicans and the White House.  Read it and pick your favorite part.  This mine:

In a memo to Senate Democrats that quickly made its way to reporters, a pollster reported Wednesday that the opposition to the port proposal and uncertainty over Iraq had significantly eroded Republican advantages among voters when it came to security concerns.

"With huge majorities opposing the president's proposal to sell control of U.S. ports to Dubai and the failure of the president's Iraq policy, Republicans' once yawning advantage on security issues has been largely neutralized," said the pollster, Mark Mellman.

Except for one thing.  I think there's a problem with making a huge issue of the Dubai ports deal.  That's because I don't have a problem with international management of terminals -- it's not like it's something we've never done before.   Dubai?  Probably no more dangerous (and will surely be closely monitored, if anything is).  The problem is how and why the Administration went ahead and did it without the knowledge of Congress.  (More on that tomorrow, in an interesting interview.) 

Now NSA wiretapping -- that's a real issue.  And for some of the same reasons.

Comments

[mikefromrtexas]

I think this is nothing but a chance for vulnerable GOP congressmen facing tough elections this fall to distance themselves from W. Smells just like a Rove tactic.

[John Palcewski]

I am impatiently awaiting the emergence of a great LEADER who will oversee the banishment of every single fascist Republican swine who, with endlessly repeated lies and propaganda and needless deaths of thousands, has stained the honor of America.

Weston La Barre in 1970 said in "The Ghost Dance" that charismatic leaders are those who come to resolve acute stress situations in the culture.

"A society's culture is a set of defense mechanisms, both technological and psychological. If technical means fail to protect the people against anxiety and stress, then psychological means must be fabricated to maintain homeostatis [or balance]."

In other words, right now America is in deep shit. The fascist swine are destroying the country, and we sit helplessly in numbed shock. Some of us write hysterical posts to liberal blogs. Some of us call our congressmen, or join email or fax campaigns.

But what we need the most is to find a true leader. Who is he?

Or she?

John Palcewski