Being a bit of a pessimistic centrist, I see this whole Libby, Plame, Cheney, CIA, blah blah blah scandal getting buried soon. Why? Because of Supreme Court nominee Alito.
All the hubbub lately about Democrats using filibuster to try and block the nomination of Alito is very well likely to detract from the pressure that needs to be exerted on the current administration over its actions to take America to war with Iraq.
I have been doing some research on Mr. Alito and to be frank, I don’t see this man as the diabolical ideologist that many seem to. Personally I would prefer a more conservative type mindset sitting on the bench so long as they remain judges instead of preachers.
Considering how ineffectual the Democratic leadership has been over the past three years, this latest move to invoke Article 21 was pretty smooth and about the only thing they could do in order to keep this issue in the forefront. However the resonance that this has at the moment won’t last as many of the anti-war folks remember the Democratic leadership tucking tail and heading out of town when they marched on the Capital.
While trying to be as effective as they can while they have everyone’s attention, they will likely try to address too many issues under the same umbrella instead of staying focused on the Plame scandal that has wounded the White House. In doing so they are more than likely to lose the little bit of effectiveness they have left.
A suggestion to give to the Democratic leadership would be to let the Alito nomination go and stay focused on the issue of the evidence to take the United States to war with Iraq. Alito is all but in anyway, so put forth the effort into the greater need. If it is found that the Bush administration deliberately falsified the evidence used to take us to war, then the grave injustice that has been done to the American people and our reputation as a nation must dealt with first and in the more harsh of manners.
Remember, America suffers from Attention Deficit Disorder and has all but forgotten about the Downing Street memos. Don’t make the same mistake again and fail to put out a full court press in order to drive home the importance of the Fitzgerald investigation. Focus, man, focus.
Ed/Pub:LisaM
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