To Oppose

Resolved: It will be the policy of this blog to not post about every bit of political minutia, scandalous remarkings, or wingnut emissions that get run up the flagpole, or other liberal blog postings about such material. It will, instead, be the policy of this blog to progressively enunciate an agenda for the Democratic Party and to analyze any significant and necessary contributors therein.

But today I will kindly refer you to Josh Marshall's Talkingpointsmemo and his discussion of the little matter of the new presidential cabinet and sub-cabinet nominees, some of whom, Democratic Senate members, I implore you, are begging for something approaching an honest, thorough, and rigorous questioning, and if need be, opposing.

Here I am speaking primarily of the president's selection of former NYC police chief, Bernard Kerik (who'd rather just be called plain "Bernie"), as head of Homeland Security. It seems as if he deserted his job as trainer in chief for the Iraqi national police force, abruptly departing a mere two or so months into what was expected to be a minimum six-month tour of duty, and at a time, Josh notes, when things were going to hell in a hand basket over there. And, oh, yeah, one other thing. This Bernie's a political hack, campaigned for dubya predicting doom and despair for the war on terra should JFK II be elected, and has in turn served as Rudy G's resident butt-boy.

I'm not arguing for a full-scale assault on all the president's nominees. But where credible evidence suggests that such individuals may not be up for the task, or whose backgrounds lend themselves to serious concerns, it is incumbent upon those members of congress to investigate and to oppose such nominations if and when they are voted upon in committee or on the floor of the Senate and to make such opposition known.

On a somewhat related note: The failure of the Democrats to oppose, or to at least challenge the president's Iraq policy and the mass hysteria and propaganda about "the brutal Iraqi dictator" being generated by the news media that surrounded that policy, made it difficult if not impossible for the Democratic candidate (with the exception of Dean or Kucinich) to argue, two years later, in the midst of a presidential campaign, what was wrong with the war. Let's not make this mistake again, in the name of political expediency, for nominations or anything else, from introducing any much needed opposition. And for those of our Senate friends contemplating a run in '08, let's hear from you about these issues NOW, not three years from now in the snow of Iowa and New Hampshire about how deserving and electable a candidate you are. Now is your time. Stand up and be counted. Prove yourselves.