My current theory is that the Democrats controlled Congress for such a long period of time that they simply cannot grasp the need to coordinate their actions and at least appear to be an organized opposition party. They either take for granted that they’ll be back in power one day, or they don’t really care all that much. I would assume that they do, in fact, want to be the ones making decisions, but the simple act of coordinating their efforts seems too much for them. The Republicans obviously see the value in coordination: Say something bad about Bush and they’re all over you. The Democrats, of course, were quite happy to go along with attacks on a president belonging to their own damn party. I’m not saying that circling the wagons and attacking critics is the way to go, I’m just pointing out that it does seem to be effective. Whereas attacking the members of your own party is not.
But I really wanted to mention this:
"This was the first time ever that a senator has called for a filibuster from the slopes of Davos, Switzerland," [White House spokesman Scott “Codpiece of Satan”] McClellan said at his daily briefing for reporters. "I think even for a senator, it takes some pretty serious yodeling to call for a filibuster from a five-star ski resort in the Swiss Alps."
The Bush Administration is taking a crack at Kerry, implying that Kerry was off on a vacation when he should have been working. The Bush Administration does this; The George W. “More Vacations Than Any President Ever” Bush Admin. That’s chutzpah, right there, and I’m talking about the old, derogatory, “You, sir, are a shameless asshole” sense of the word.
Of course, it’s an excellent example of a brutal twisting of the truth that the Bush Admin loves so much. Yes, Kerry was in Switzerland. At the World Economic Forum. And then he came back to Washington, D.C. to argue against Alito’s nomination. So McClellan’s statement is, as is par for the course, a bunch of bullshit intended to smear Bush’s opponents.
And doesn’t it fit oh-so-well with Bush’s call for more cooperation in Washington? That, of course, being his message of “I realize that we all need to do a better job of working together: Do what I say and shut the hell up.” Of course, he welcomes “responsible criticism.” I believe that most of us refer to that as “sycophantic fawning.”
The current administration isn’t interested in discussing their mistakes, taking the blame for their mistakes, or even admitting that they’ve made grievous errors. And why should they? Bush was reelected, so why change now? His poll numbers are low, but all they have to do is suggest that he’ll start listening to advice from sources other than his close-knit cadre of lackeys, and hope that the public buys that lie. And, hell, what if we don’t? The administration won’t participate in any investigations, and the Republicans in Congress certainly won’t put much pressure on them to do so.
Now, maybe the Bush admin is going to run this particular strategy into the ground, ruining it for future presidents. I’m referring to the “Monger fear, lie about everything, and grab as much power as possible in any way possible” strategy. I have to admit that it’s working pretty well for them. They just need to run out the clock, but their allies in Congress are certainly helping them get away with it. And come January, 2009, who cares? For one thing, that’s years away. For another, it’s not like Cheney and Rumsfeld worry about their next jobs, and all of the lower-level cronies will be welcomed in to the warm, high-paying embrace of conservative thinktanks and lobbying groups.
So, no, I don’t think that anyone in the Bush administration has a long-term plan other than a desire for more power. They’ve set up a war that can last forever, and they’re trying to create tax cuts and other massive benefits for the wealthy that will also stick around until politicians concerned with the long-term financial health of this country manage to repeal them.