Olbermann Spanks Bush For His Pathetic Hissy Fit

Bush just can't stand Congress not KowTowing to him, and he really can't stand Congressional oversight, so he went on TV Tues morning and had a tantrum about it and spewed lie after lie. Olbermann sets the record straight:

Despite all of the constant bashing of this Congress not just from Bush here, but from many on the right and the left as well, the fact is that this has been the hardest working Congress in US history despite the Republicans blocking 3 times more bills than ever before including the 8 times the GOP has blocked the Democrats efforts to end the war so far.

TPMtv's "The Muck Gap" between the Dems & the GOP

This is one of Josh's best yet:

Josh Marshall:

Okay, it's the unreported political story of the year: the GOP's ability to dominate scandal news even while in the minority. Usually, the majority party, with more power and money, takes the scandal cake. It's almost an iron law of politics. But whether it's lobby shop or the restroom, the GOP has so far been able to reverse the historical tide, maintaining a decisive muck advantage even in the political wilderness. ...

Late Update: The Muck Gap Demystified

Cafferty Blasts Dodd for Ruling Out Bush Impeachment

Cafferty lambastes Dodd for saying it would be a mistake for democrats to begin impeachment proceedings against President Bush, and could jeapordize their control of Congress. ... Dodd also said this "If we become preocccupied with an impeachment process I think we could turn off an awful lot of people who might otherwise be willing to support Democrats."

Cafferty let him have it:

"So Senator Dodd is putting the election prospects of the Democratic Party next year ahead of whether or not President Bush might be guilty of high crimes and misdemeanors of the kind that would mandate his removal from office. Congress' job is oversight of the Executive Branch, unless of course that oversight interferes with getting elected."

Here's the article Cafferty is referring to.

Dodd: Impeachment effort would be mistake

Democratic presidential candidate Chris Dodd, a U.S. senator from Connecticut, said today it would be a mistake for Democrats in Congress to launch impeachment proceedings against President Bush.

Dodd said Democrats could lose control of Congress in the 2008 elections if they pursued that course because many Americans would object to Congress spending 14 months on impeachment proceedings rather than focusing on other problems facing the
nation. ...

I understand what Dodd is saying, and I even think he might be right about it, but I also have to agree with Jack Cafferty. It's not just Dodd that thinks this though. It's apparently what the majority of Democrats on the hill think by their actions (or perhaps inactions). Save for Dodd now, and to some extent Nancy Pelosi's taking 'impeachment off the table' before the election, they're just not saying it.

I'm really not sure if Dodd''s right or not or what positive could come from letting Bush hand over the rest of his Presidency to Cheney or someone else of his choosing, like Nixon did with Ford, which is all that impeachment will do. So I guess I'm agnostic on the practicality of impeachment proceedings as far as the long & short run net effect politically but I agree with it based on principle with just what we already know. There seems to be ample reason both necessary and sufficient that Bush and Cheney along with half of the cabinet ought to have been removed from office already.

Lobbyists, Cash, and Power in DC

Will recent reforms make a difference?

The Democrats have just made many changes in the right direction, especially in disclosure and curbing some of the specific abuses seen in the Cunningham and Abramoff scandals, but the underlying system is still largely business as usual.

Bush Overrules Spy Chief

TPMmuckraker Exclusive: Bush Nixed Dem-DNI FISA Deal

Update:
Thinkprogress has more:

White House Uses Its Own Illegal Conduct To Wage Political Offensive Over FISA Legislation

A central reason for the rush to push FISA legislation through Congress was revealed by House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-OH) During an appearance on Fox News earlier this week when he made reference to a secret legal opinion declaring “a key element of the Bush administration’s wiretapping efforts illegal.” “There’s been a ruling, over the last four or five months, that prohibits the ability of our intelligence services and our counterintelligence people” Boehner told Fox News anchor Neil Cavuto. Watch it: