Boundaries of bad taste stretched far

[struggle4progress]

<snip> Just when I thought that a long career in journalism had shown me the frontiers of political opportunism and bad taste, congressmen of both parties and President Bush showed their capacity to create new extremes of self-serving sleaziness. They shamelessly re-enacted the cartoonist's cliche of vultures circling over the dying.

Their concern was a shallow display of piety, underlined by House Majority Leader Tom DeLay's quick fade into the background when polls showed that Americans disapproved by a 6-to-1 ratio that the politicians injected themselves into the family dispute. <snip>

The reality is that the nation is far more plagued with elected politicians and their appointed agents who illegally overstep their authority or fall short of fulfilling their legal duties than we are with runaway judges who ignore law and precedent. <snip>

http://www.oregonlive.com/news/oregonian/robert_landauer/index.ssf?/base/editorial/1112439582296311.xml

[Demit]

1. A shame he felt compelled to chastise congressmen of "both parties"

Technically there were Dems who cast votes for that misbegotten law, I suppose, but to me this opinion piece is an example of how Dems will get tarred with the same brush as the rabid Right. People here were saying it was good for the Dems to keep a low profile on the Schiavo thing. I don't think they will be remembered for that. The public--just like this columnist--will remember only that it was Congress as a whole that passed that sleazy law. The Dems let an opportunity pass to stand up for what the public ultimately was seen to overwhelmingly support. Stupid, IMO.

[struggle4progress]

2. I think Dems could have blocked the sorry mess by suggesting ...

... absence of a quorum.

[dsc]

3. In the Senate, yes

but not the House.

[struggle4progress]

4. Laws gotta pass both chambers.

[struggle4progress]

5. BTW ...

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=170x4094