This would be hilarious if it weren’t so sad. This is exactly the kind of politics that makes me sick and reminds me why I’m skeptical as heck of the GOP actually doing anything worthwhile.
A Republican is asked whether he’s going to investigate alleged wrongdoings by the Obama administration and he says he won’t because the Bushies did it too. Un-freakin-believable.
Look, it’s not that I’m hoping that the GOP spends all its time investigating the White House but to say in public that the reason for not investigating is that “everyone does it” is a bit indicative of a serious disconnect with anything outside the D.C. bubble.
HT The Blaze
January 3, 2011 at 9:31 pm
First of all, I won't accept that the Bush's did half the abomination that this administration has done. That is just being mindless, stupid and swallowing the Liberal meme – hook, line and sinker.
Secondly, to excuse this administration from wrongdoing for whatever reason is derilection of duty.
Thirdly, those who excuse these Democrats must have something to hide themselves that will need excusing from the other side or must have had some stimulus tingle up their leg. Best to follow the money. This town works on tit for tat.
Fourth, if we don't hitch our wagon to a star, we end up wallowing in Pelosi's swamp of corruption. So, using other people's faults as a standard of moral behavior in public service is asinine, idiocy and embecillic. That RINO needs to go.
January 3, 2011 at 10:02 pm
And people wonder why I was worried when conservatives turned a blind eye to GOP approval of war crimes. It was never because I was somehow afraid Bush would declare himself dictator. It was because American government and law work by building up precedent and handing on abusive powers to successors–like Obama, and whoever follows him. Boiling frogs in pots is a bi-partisan effort. Our ruling classes look out for our ruling classes, not us.
January 3, 2011 at 10:53 pm
Wouldn't it be better to take apart some of the destructive policies that have been passed through bad legislation and undo some of the awful regulations from the bureaucracy than to spend a lot of time investigating. As things come out, ok, investigate. But, the endless hearings and investigations, part of the Clinton Derangement Syndrome certainly did not add to the effectiveness of the Republicans in Congress. And, yes, the only thing most are really interested in is getting reelected.
January 3, 2011 at 11:55 pm
Mark Shea is delusional and hasn't got a clue exactly what is classified as a "war crime". He's so selfish he would rather keep freedom and liberty all to himself instead of helping others. Stay above the clouds with your delusions Mark Shea. You have clearly swallowed the "Spirit of Vatican II" garbage. I make you a bet he would rather Saddam Hussein be in power today and continue his tyranny, torture, rape, murders, and persecution instead of how Iraq is on the path to becoming a successful democracy.
January 4, 2011 at 1:48 am
Easy people, easy.
Did anyone think that with one election we'd suddenly have a better, purer breed of politician in Foggy Bottom? Sorry, ain't happening.
We've barely made a start to change the "business as usual" mindset there. It'll take constant monitoring to insure our public servants really serve the public. This is long term thinking stuff.
Time to get cracking, let our Congresscrtters know (again) how displeased we are and that we know the way to the voting booths.
It didn't get as bad as it is overnight, it won't be quickly fixed either.
January 4, 2011 at 1:50 am
Thank, Teresa, for that insightful soul reading. I'm sure the Christian Church that is being wiped out in Iraq is thrilled by your messianic delusions about the New Iraq. Keep up the neocon rhetoric from 2005. You'll need it to maintain the delusion of success in Iraq.
January 4, 2011 at 9:48 am
Are we called to care only for Christians, Mark?
January 4, 2011 at 11:49 am
Theresa is delusional. Her thinking is exactly what go Obama elected.
January 4, 2011 at 2:37 pm
Mark,
Was it any better when Baathists (of which many members were with Chaldean Christians) were slaughtering Kurds and Shias? Do you really pine for the good ol' days when Saddam was in power just because Christians weren't persecuted?
January 4, 2011 at 3:16 pm
No, Anonymous. We should also think of the tens of thousands of Iraqis killed in our misbegotten war, as well as the many more that will die in the misbegotten false peace. If you want to tell yourself that our expansion of Empire to Iraq was undertaken for the good of anybody but the builders of Empire, you are free to believe that delusion. But if you are going to be consistent, you are also going to have to deem "selfish" every American citizen who opposes going into every other third world despotism. Face it, dude. The war was very far from meeting just war criteria and is, at this hour, still a resounding and massively expensive failure that will end in a new third world despotism once the Church has been exterminated and one party of Bronze Age thugs comes out on top. The only difference will be, now the Church will have been exterminated there after 2000 years. Mission accomplished.
But all this is very far from the point of the post, innit? That point is, if you will recall, that the GOP has no intention of dealing with Obama's illegalities because the Bushies set the precedent and we wouldn't want to rock the boat by troubling the powerful with concerns about the "rule of law" (remember that much vaunted phrase from the Clinton impeachment?) "Rule of law" is a catchphrase for these people, useful for when you want to go after a political opponent, but entirely disposable when it could come back to bite you.
January 4, 2011 at 6:44 pm
Congressman Issa points to the real problem in government today, a systemic corruption that enables those in power to abuse the system without consequences. Should the Obama White House be investigated? Yes. Should the Bush White House be investigated? Yes. Partisan politics should take a back seat to rooting out corruption in government. Corruption unaddressed spawns further corruption.
Teresa, ad hominem attacks on Mark Shea are counter-productive. Mark is referring to the torture of enemy combatants. Torture is never right, even in warfare. Conservatism must be based on morality, which includes a fundamental respect for each human being who is created in the image and likeness of God. Mark is also right about the unintended consequences of the persecution against Chaldean Christians. For all of Saddam's faults, he kept a lid on persecution of the Christian people in Iraq.
January 4, 2011 at 7:53 pm
Mark,
I don't think you've answered my question. If the point is the destruction of Christians who've lived in arab lands for 2000 years, well the same is occuring in Egypt and Lebanon. Again, Christians were part of the Baath Party, a party that ruthlessly oppressed the Shia and Kurds.
Yes, the fall of Saddam brought on this chaos. But you're operating under false logic. You subscribe to the same way of thinking the old "stability wing" of the GOP subscribed to circa 1970-1993. And as long as it wasn't Christians on the short end of the stability stick all was well. And I'm not sure exactly what laws Bush or his advisors broke in 2003. The run up to the invasion was beset with both diplomatic and political delays, which postponed the actual invasion by some 4 months. Congress had the same intel as Bush, and authorized the invasion in a floor vote.
And only a nation safe behind 2 oceans and a large standing army can debate endlessly the legality of water boarding 3 known terrorists (something that Congress as privy to as well). FDR emprisoned a entire race of Americans and most people today still have very fond memories of him (especially Catholics). FDR also authorized massive bombing of civilian targets, shot German spies without due process, and authorized the building of atomic weapons. In comparison, Bush's "crimes" were small.