It's Their Own Damn Fault

Former Republican Congressman and current "pundit" on MSNBC Joe Scarborough writes "Save Yourself - Blame Bush" With Bush only feeling the need to VETO ONCE (Stem Cells!!!) since coming to the White House the Republican led congress is as much at fault as BushCo. Republicans have rubberstamped everything Bush wanted. Now with the election nearing and FINALLY even loyal Bush lemmings seeing the light, they want to deny that they are just as culpable. Bullshit, they supported Bush 100% and it's time to send them home for good. From the Washington Post: Save Yourself, Blame Bush By Joe Scarborough Sunday, September 17, 2006; Page B01 I can't help but feel sorry for my old Republican friends in Congress who are fighting for their political lives. After all, it must be tough explaining to voters at their local Baptist church's Keep Congress Conservative Day that it was their party that took a $155 billion surplus and turned it into a record-setting $400 billion deficit. How exactly does one convince the teeming masses that Republicans deserve to stay in power despite botching a war, doubling the national debt, keeping company with Jack Abramoff, fumbling the response to Hurricane Katrina, expanding the government at record rates, raising cronyism to an art form, playing poker with Duke Cunningham, isolating America and repeatedly electing Tom DeLay as their House majority leader? ...................... So what if Bill Clinton misbehaved? At least that president found time to personally negotiate terms of subcommittee markups -- even if he was defiling the Oval Office at the same time. But that kind of give-and-take between presidents and members of Congress ended once Clinton retired to Chappaqua. For the next five years, Republicans on the Hill would do little more than rubber-stamp Bush's domestic and international agenda because lawmakers were intimidated by his power and his popularity with the Republican base. Even when the administration would not give generals the troops they needed to win the war in Iraq, Republican leaders did nothing. When the president refused to veto a single spending bill while the deficit spiraled upward, Republican leaders looked away. And when chaos was reigning in the streets of New Orleans and across the Gulf Coast in Katrina's horrific aftermath, Republican leaders remained mute. That silence -- proof that it is better to be feared than loved in politics -- has had devastating results. The United States is more divided than ever, our leaders are despised around the world, our fiscal situation is catastrophic and congressional approval ratings are the lowest ever.