Maybe it’s silly to assign a deeper meaning to the bizarre walkout by most of the Republican Congressional delegation when plain perversity could cover it. But if I had to guess about some strategic plan at work here, my bet would be that a lot of Republicans don’t want to go on record in support people who unambiguously broke the law. If I was a constituent of any of those 29 nay voters I sure as hell would make a habit of calling his/her office to ask what kind of subpoenas it’s ok for me to flout.
Heck, it wasn’t that long ago that legal troubles plaguing Tom DeLay, Jack Abramoff, Randall “Duke” Cunningham, Tom Foley Mark Foley [ha ha, wrong millennium. -ed.] and an amazingly long list of other corrupticons kicked the GOP in the electoral nuts. It can be hard to shed a reputation for countenancing lawbreaking if you turn around and countenance lawbreaking some more.
***Update***
…and they all came back in time for the next vote. It sure seems like they have a lot of faith in Harriet Miers’s legal chances, doesn’t it?
Zifnab
Yeah, those Republicans are real Bush-Era geniuses. This has all the melodrama and “seriousness” of the Gingrich government shutdown mixed in with a good helping of having absolutely no effect on the vote.
They’d have done better by kicking in their heels and pounding on the table, maybe breaking into an impromptu rendition of “The Star Spangled Banner” to drown out the Speaker or pushing across-the-aisle compatriots other over while the hand vote is being tallied.
demkat620
There is only one solution to this mess,; send more of them in to early retirement. Let ’em all run their motuths to Fox News forever but get them out of the House.
LiberalTarian
They really do think everyone is stupid.
But, didn’t they prove recently that incompetent people always think everyone is as incompetent as they are? It takes competence to know you are not intelligent, or capable, or inconsistent.
Well, there is an election coming up.
Alan
Tom Foley? The Democratic Speaker of the House with the Dumbo ears?
Mike S
The only thing the GOP is good at is mock outrage. They can’t govern. They can’t fight wars. They can’t follow their basic principles.
They are only capable of whining, gnashing their teeth and scaring people. And now they aren’t even good at scaring people anymore.
OxyCon
Don’t worry everyone. When Barack Hussein Obama is President, he’s going to give a great speech, and magically the Repubs aren’t going to act like giant a-holes anymore.
Xenos
Oh, they will still be A-holes, but if we are lucky there will not be enough of them to stop real progress.
Mike S
Can anyone give me a list of the spoofers? I haven’t been around enough to know them by name.
realbtl
I suggest some good old-fashioned street theatre for the “infants”.
Imagine a few folks handing out blankies and pacifiers to the cranky pubs who walked out. I’d love to see that in the news.
Fe E
Y’know, I’d be interested in seeing that too.
demimondian
Oh, we could give you a list…
but it’s would to be entirely fake.
Billy K
They’re good at two things: Cutting Taxes (i.e. shifting the burden to middle and lower classes) and being “Business Friendly” (i.e. looting the treasury for their big business friends and passing laws that allow them to steal).
At the end of the day, that’s all they’re there for. Anything else is to aid in those two things or cover for those two things.
Billy K
Spoofers? What are you talking about? Senators or Congressmen?
Xenos
Everybody is a spoof, except you and me, and I am not so sure about you…
28 Percent
There are no spoofers you are a spoofer whatever that means I do not know
SpotWeld
…so, basccially, they are all being drama queens?
Perry Como
Stay classy GOP!
Wilfred
Where does all this Miers/Bolten wanking come in on the Real Conservative Meter? Has it already reached ‘to the barricades’, Scooter proportions? Will McCain have to take a position?
canuckistani
If there’s a spoof list I wanna be on it.
Billy K
You are.
Perry Como
fnord
J. Michael Neal
If you don’t know who is the spoof at the table, it’s probably you.
demkat620
Yes, let’s ask St. John what he thinks about this. I’d be interested to hear his thoughts on executive privelege, authority, and the unitary executive. As the newly minted leader of the party, speak up Johnny.
Grumpy Code Monkey
Are there any differences between a subpoena to appear before Congress and a subpoena to appear in a court of law? Does the Congressional contempt resolution carry the same weight as a contempt of court citation (namely, jail time)? What exactly can Congress do to either Miers or Bolton?
Just trying to figure out if anything useful will come of this or if it’s all theater…
dslak
Congress has a parliamentary prerogative to use its bailiffs to bring those compelled to testify before them. I don’t think they’ve ever used that power, or that the current crop of Congresscritters would be willing to, but it would be pretty cool to see.
demimondian
GCM…this answer is so incredibly, boneheadedly obvious, that I’m shocked you have to ask. It’s “yes and no”.
Seriously.
As far as enforcement goes, there’s no difference between a judicial subpoena and a congressional subpoena: if you don’t comply, then the relevant branch asks the attorney general (or his appointed agent) to arrest you to answer for your contumaceous activity.
Of course, the Attorney General can choose not to enforce the subpoena, in which case its actual import is probably minimal. I don’t suppose that you’ll be surprised to hear that AG Mucousey has already publicized his disinclination to enforce these particular documents.
So, in that regard, these documents are just theatre.
However…there are two other issues. One is a civil lawsuit against the two people in question demanding they answer or pay a fine. That’s something the Congress can pursue without the President’s help. I’m not sure exactly what the pretext for the document is, but…hey.
On top of that, though, there’s another approach. The Congress has a special power, implicit in the peculiar power of the Congress to impeach and convict — something called “implicit contempt”. Since the Congress has the unique power to punish many forms of Executive or Judicial misconduct or malfeasance, it has, in and of itself, the power to enforce decrees necessary to exercise that oversight power. In a case of an investigation which could leave to impeachment and removal, the Congress does not need the Executive’s help to enforce its subpoenas. That’s the case here — and so, in principle, we could see the Capital police (the only paramilitary force in the US not controlled by an executive office) finding and arresting Harriet Myers, and dragging her in chains to appear before the House Judiciary Committee.
HyperIon
we’re all spoofs now….
(just my attempt to add exactly nothing to the debate, a standard approach taken by spoofs AND non-spoofs)
HyperIon
now THAT is something to look forward to.
Grumpy Code Monkey
Heh. Thanks for the info.
ladonne
My question: why did they wait until NOW?!?!?!?!?
Svensker
Waterboard them! Yay!
Zifnab
It’s always touching to hear the Republicans talk about how government is failing the people. It’s almost as though the last seven years never happened – which is to say that they did happen, but under Democratic majorities.
Seriously, the Republicans will be much happier as the permanent, victimized minority. It’s practically their natural habitat.
Conservatively Liberal
These idiots are trying to tell me that if telecom immunity is not passed then Bu$h will not be able to spy on the terrorists? When Bu$h has had no qualms about spying without any oversight in the past, they expect me to believe that he will obey the law (or lack of one) now?
They are fucking nuts if they think I will believe anything they say. Bu$h will continue to do whatever the hell he wants to until he leaves office. Everything else is just window dressing.
ladonne
It’s the past. Dealwithit.
caustics
“Inherent contempt” hasn’t been exercised since 1934. The Executive has traditionally negotiated some sort of compromise long before things get to this point.
As much as I’d love to see the Sergeant at Arms frog-march Miers and Bolton before the Judicary Comittee, there’s practically zero chance of that happening. I expect they will proceed with the civil action—which will no doubt plod on glacially until Bush is out of office and the issue is but a hazy memory.
But it would be cool, wouldn’t it?
The Populist
Mike S, don’t forget they are hypocrites. They talk a good game to win the election and prove that it is only about winning and accumulating power so their rich and powerful buddies get what they want. It’s all at the expense of the small businessman and the middle class.
ladonne
I’d say it would be cool to have the republicans to walk out every day from now until November.
ladonne
Kevin:
Jake
I’d settle for just one more walk out.
A long walk out. Down the Capitol steps, across the National Mall and into the Potomac where they would be swept downstream and into the waste water processing plant with all the other turds.
TenguPhule
Natural Born Slaves, in other words.
Without Master to think for them, what will they do?
Tax Analyst
Joblob Doughpants
The Republican is the Jew of Congressional Fascism.
jake
OT, but I will put on my favorite boots and stick my foot WAY up Derbyshire’s ass if he says someone should have rushed him.
ladonne
TA, click in the comment and it will work — same problem for me, but for the random click that fixed it.
ladonne
The wave of ‘let guns on campus’ will ride again.
The reasoning of the gun toters will scream all day tomorrow.
TenguPhule
Need some help holding him?
And I call sloppy seconds. Even if I will need a Handiwipe afterwards.