Totally Lost Pace
As it is news to no one, President Bush has lost almost all of his political capital. What became news last week was just how far he has fallen form his once glory when he could get anything passed through Congress. The long fought immigration reform bill died a horrible death not by up or down vote, but failure on a procedural motion. General Peter Pace, the Chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff, who was originally going to be re-nominated from another two year term has been shot down and SecDef Gates has to replace him. And, Scooter Libby was sentenced to 30 months in jail for his role in the Valerie Plame cover up, with questions abounding about whether or nor Bush will pardon him, and what effect that will have. Mostly, he can't do things he wouldn't have hesitated to do a year ago. There is a word for this, fucked.
Let's start with the immigration bill. For years, Bush has tried to get effective immigration reform through Congress. He wants to have a shining landmark in this area like Reagan did in 1986 with the Immigration Reform and Control Act. President Bush has a long history with this issue going back to when he was Governor Bush in charge of the state with the largest border with Mexico. He dealt with immigration before every other Johnny-come-lately conservative did; he has practical experience. He proposed something that had bipartisan support, including the Senator from The Bar, Ted Kennedy. It included a path to citizenship that was not amnesty, but allowed for those currently here to work towards citizenship after paying a fine and going "home". It died in the Senate floor more surely than Caesar. There was a vote to close debate, and it failed. This does not mean the debate is over, it just means this issue is tabled until they vote to untable it. It is dead, but Bush is still looking for support for it, but coming up short from Democrats, who want to see him fail and Republicans, who are slowly transforming into a party hearkening back to the Know-Nothing Party.
Add into this Bush not wanting to re-nominate General Peter Pace for another term as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Senator Carl Levin (D-MI) promised to make his re-confirmation all about Iraq, which would be a media nightmare on C-Span. Bush, uncharacteristically, backed down and had Secretary of Defense Gates nominate a new man, Admiral Mike Mullen to fill the post. Pace had no other choice but to retire from service, possibly to the lecture or book circuit. Of course, his pension of close to 100,000 a year will soften the blow. It does suck that, by all reports, a decent Marine is getting caught in politics, but that's life here in the fishbowl. We play politics with people's lives, even more so with the people who sign up to be in the middle of it. He chose to play in the big game, and he got screwed after a long and honorable career. A Marine will be replaced by a sailor, but such is life. But Bush backing down to a threat from a senator on something he is going to do to the next guy anyway is noteworthy. Levin will grill Admiral Mullen on Iraq the same as Pace, so all this is kinda for nothing.
And we have the ever famous I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby getting sentenced for 30 months for lying to a grand jury in the Valerie Plame investigation. Note, he was not convicted of actually outing a covert CIA agent, he was convicted of lying in the investigation. What is even funnier is hearing the conservative pundits talk about how this wasn't even the point of the investigation and the charges are bullshit. Funny, the Democrats were saying the same thing eight fucking years ago. Same shit, new party. Again, a person is convicted for lying to someone you don't lie to, and the accused's friends are all over themselves calling the charges BS. But now, he's been sentenced, and people are wondering if Bush will pardon him. His White House advisers are telling him to pardon him, to shore up loyalty with the base feeling a little burned after the immigration bill, and to show loyalty. The Republican party outside DC is telling him to do nothing since any Republican candidate running for the Big Chair will have this hanging around his neck.
All these issues have one thing in common, Bush can't make a right move. With Libby, any move one way or the other will make either disloyal to his base or kill any chance a Republican might have with independent voters in 2008. Any candidate Bush sent up for confirmation as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs will get interrogated by the Senate. The Immigration bill died from more Republican hands than Democrat. After all, it's rare the Democrat who talks about immigrants being a threat to this country, constitution and culture. The Republicans are neatly split on immigration, some accept the reality we are built on immigrants, we're all fucking immigrants. Others have decided to hate people since it's easier. Bush can't make a declarative statement on any of these without coming down on the wrong side of someone he needs.
The only declarative statement he made recently, was about Kosovo, which was an old issue before he came to office.
So it is written, so do I see it.
Let's start with the immigration bill. For years, Bush has tried to get effective immigration reform through Congress. He wants to have a shining landmark in this area like Reagan did in 1986 with the Immigration Reform and Control Act. President Bush has a long history with this issue going back to when he was Governor Bush in charge of the state with the largest border with Mexico. He dealt with immigration before every other Johnny-come-lately conservative did; he has practical experience. He proposed something that had bipartisan support, including the Senator from The Bar, Ted Kennedy. It included a path to citizenship that was not amnesty, but allowed for those currently here to work towards citizenship after paying a fine and going "home". It died in the Senate floor more surely than Caesar. There was a vote to close debate, and it failed. This does not mean the debate is over, it just means this issue is tabled until they vote to untable it. It is dead, but Bush is still looking for support for it, but coming up short from Democrats, who want to see him fail and Republicans, who are slowly transforming into a party hearkening back to the Know-Nothing Party.
Add into this Bush not wanting to re-nominate General Peter Pace for another term as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Senator Carl Levin (D-MI) promised to make his re-confirmation all about Iraq, which would be a media nightmare on C-Span. Bush, uncharacteristically, backed down and had Secretary of Defense Gates nominate a new man, Admiral Mike Mullen to fill the post. Pace had no other choice but to retire from service, possibly to the lecture or book circuit. Of course, his pension of close to 100,000 a year will soften the blow. It does suck that, by all reports, a decent Marine is getting caught in politics, but that's life here in the fishbowl. We play politics with people's lives, even more so with the people who sign up to be in the middle of it. He chose to play in the big game, and he got screwed after a long and honorable career. A Marine will be replaced by a sailor, but such is life. But Bush backing down to a threat from a senator on something he is going to do to the next guy anyway is noteworthy. Levin will grill Admiral Mullen on Iraq the same as Pace, so all this is kinda for nothing.
And we have the ever famous I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby getting sentenced for 30 months for lying to a grand jury in the Valerie Plame investigation. Note, he was not convicted of actually outing a covert CIA agent, he was convicted of lying in the investigation. What is even funnier is hearing the conservative pundits talk about how this wasn't even the point of the investigation and the charges are bullshit. Funny, the Democrats were saying the same thing eight fucking years ago. Same shit, new party. Again, a person is convicted for lying to someone you don't lie to, and the accused's friends are all over themselves calling the charges BS. But now, he's been sentenced, and people are wondering if Bush will pardon him. His White House advisers are telling him to pardon him, to shore up loyalty with the base feeling a little burned after the immigration bill, and to show loyalty. The Republican party outside DC is telling him to do nothing since any Republican candidate running for the Big Chair will have this hanging around his neck.
All these issues have one thing in common, Bush can't make a right move. With Libby, any move one way or the other will make either disloyal to his base or kill any chance a Republican might have with independent voters in 2008. Any candidate Bush sent up for confirmation as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs will get interrogated by the Senate. The Immigration bill died from more Republican hands than Democrat. After all, it's rare the Democrat who talks about immigrants being a threat to this country, constitution and culture. The Republicans are neatly split on immigration, some accept the reality we are built on immigrants, we're all fucking immigrants. Others have decided to hate people since it's easier. Bush can't make a declarative statement on any of these without coming down on the wrong side of someone he needs.
The only declarative statement he made recently, was about Kosovo, which was an old issue before he came to office.
So it is written, so do I see it.