Can I go now?
"Just when I thought that I was out they pull me back in. " Michael Corleone said that in Godfather III and it's how I feel. I first threatened to quit paying attnetion to politics and leave the country if the Republicans kept control of the House of Representatives. They lost the House and incredibly the Senate and the Democrats and America won. Whether I won is another story. It put off my inevitable shunning of all things political for another day. So I waited for another chance to pack it in. The Democrats gave me that chance almost immediately.
Even before she took over in January as Speaker of the House, Rep. Nancy Pelosi presented me with a way out. Rumor had it that she had this cat-fight thing with Rep. Jane Harman who was in line to take over as the chairperson of the House Intelligence Committee and was going to appoint the no. 2 person on the panel, Rep. Alcee Hastings. Hastings was the first black federal judge appointed in Florida and he was also one of the very, very few federal judges ever removed from office through congressional impeachment. It was all about bribes and perjury and although a Miami criminal jury found Hastings not guilty the Congress wasn't so blind. The Washington Post writes, "When the Hastings case reached the House, Rep. John Conyers Jr. (D-Mich.), skeptical about the evidence, investigated further. In time, Conyers, an African American, became so certain of Hastings's guilt that he delivered an impassioned speech about race and justice -- and made an opening statement during the Senate proceedings, which ended with Hastings's conviction on 11 counts, including seven counts of making false statements." The voted was 413 to 3 to impeach Hastings. That's the guy who was in line and considered for the head of the Intelligence committee. So I sent a couple of emails out warning some Democratically connected people that if Hastings was appointed to lead the panel I was done. Gone. Never to be heard from again. There may be no real cause and effect like praying for rain and then it happens but it looks like Hastings won't get the job.
Rep. Silvestre Reyes of Texas might get the job but I wouldn't care if Sylvester the cat got the chairmanship. Rep. Norman Dicks, fondly known as the Congressman from Boeing (formally headquartered in his district, now located in Chicago) is also a name being mentioned. I'm available since it looks like I'm going to be around watching the mental patients run the asylum for a just a bit more. I'm sure more opportunities to get out will come up but I'm also sure they'll pull me right back in.
Even before she took over in January as Speaker of the House, Rep. Nancy Pelosi presented me with a way out. Rumor had it that she had this cat-fight thing with Rep. Jane Harman who was in line to take over as the chairperson of the House Intelligence Committee and was going to appoint the no. 2 person on the panel, Rep. Alcee Hastings. Hastings was the first black federal judge appointed in Florida and he was also one of the very, very few federal judges ever removed from office through congressional impeachment. It was all about bribes and perjury and although a Miami criminal jury found Hastings not guilty the Congress wasn't so blind. The Washington Post writes, "When the Hastings case reached the House, Rep. John Conyers Jr. (D-Mich.), skeptical about the evidence, investigated further. In time, Conyers, an African American, became so certain of Hastings's guilt that he delivered an impassioned speech about race and justice -- and made an opening statement during the Senate proceedings, which ended with Hastings's conviction on 11 counts, including seven counts of making false statements." The voted was 413 to 3 to impeach Hastings. That's the guy who was in line and considered for the head of the Intelligence committee. So I sent a couple of emails out warning some Democratically connected people that if Hastings was appointed to lead the panel I was done. Gone. Never to be heard from again. There may be no real cause and effect like praying for rain and then it happens but it looks like Hastings won't get the job.
Rep. Silvestre Reyes of Texas might get the job but I wouldn't care if Sylvester the cat got the chairmanship. Rep. Norman Dicks, fondly known as the Congressman from Boeing (formally headquartered in his district, now located in Chicago) is also a name being mentioned. I'm available since it looks like I'm going to be around watching the mental patients run the asylum for a just a bit more. I'm sure more opportunities to get out will come up but I'm also sure they'll pull me right back in.
posted by Crankyboy at 10:39 PM
1 Comments:
You know, there's no Constitutional reason requiring that the Speaker of the House be a sitting, elected member. Perhaps you should lobby to replace Pelosi, and then we'll all be better off. :)
My current beef is that the Dems are already hedging on their vociferous promise to immediately implement ALL recommendations of the 9-11 panel. It seems they now want a committee to study the reforms that involve Congress itself. Hmmm.
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