A lot of friends seemed surprised that we weren't more excited after the last election, when the Democrats took back both houses of Congress. That's because we were expecting Congress to behave as it is now.
Senate votes not to debate Iraq proposal
My first comment upon reading this was: "It's bad for troop morale to talk about not adding more troops, but getting them all killed for no effective purpose is supporting them?"
Meanwhile, yes we have raised the minimum wage, but the Democrats have done nothing on the suspension of habeas corpus, torture, CIA black sites, illegal eavesdropping, and Guantanamo Bay. Color me not impressed.
Related: Another reason why I rarely link to Daily Kos. His reaction is that this event in the Senate is helpful for the 2008 elections. I think things might get a bit worse before then. This isn't just about electoral tactics.
His [Kos'] reaction is that this event in the Senate is helpful for the 2008 elections. I think things might get a bit worse before then.
I suspect the same self-serving (and power-protecting) logic as to why the Democrats are not serious about either (1) impeaching the President, or (2) cutting off funding for the war. If the situation in Iraq continues to get worse before it gets better, then it will be easier for a Democrat to win the Presidency in '08.
This kind of twisted power-politics demonstrates the utter failure of the U.S. political system to resemble anything close to a Democracy. It points to the fact that the human crisis in Iraq is not due to a gross misuse of the U.S. political system, but a brilliant (albeit evil) navigation of it. Bush and Cheney have learned to play the game of American politics better than anyone else. They are the deserved offspring of a deeply flawed and oppressive system.