Ashcroft Tap-Dancing As Fast As He Can

[indigobusiness]

Sen Durbin just told Ashcroft his evasion would force the committee to proceed with Contempt of Congress charges.

Any lawyers out there?

[wndycty]

1. Lets go ahead with this. . .how do we make this a grassroots effort

:kick:

[indigobusiness]

3. Ashcroft is a different man on the other side of the courtroom

Durbin said they had no choice but to proceed with contempt charges.

----
He who fights against monsters should see to it that he does not become a monster in the process. And when you stare persistently into an abyss, the abyss also stares into you.
--- Friedrich Nietzsche
------------------------------------

http://sludgereport.blogspot.com/

[Hawkeye-X]

2. GUILTY! GUILTY! GUILTY!

A$$$KKKROFT is Unamerican, and will face long prison sentence at Slam 'em, Bang 'Em, Thank You Ma'am prison.

Hawkeye-X

[MaryH]

7. is Ashcroft Guilty

I don't know that Ashcroft is really smart enough to be guilty of anything other than doing what he was told to do. He's done some pretty dumb stuff since he got in - like going after Greenpeace with an 1800 law. And trying to get abortion records from Planned parenthood, and trying to force his own version of the Partial Birth Abortion plan through. Thank goodness the courts have blocked him everytime.

[MoonRiver]

11. He has no legal right to keep documents regarding torturegate from Senate.

I think that was the gist of the thing, although I've watched very little of the hearings. Is that correct guys?

Welcome to DU, home of the brave and still free, MaryH! :hi:

[indigobusiness]

13. He must cite a legitimate reason for refusing to answer a question...

he didn't, ergo contempt.




http://sludgereport.blogspot.com/

[Cheswick2.0]

19. stupidity is no defense

Ashcroft is guilty.

[Kool Kitty]

57. Is Ashcroft guilty? Yes.

Is Ashcroft stupid? No.

[w13rd0]

4. Exxcuse me...

...he was just handed a note saying what?

[GreenPartyVoter]

5. "Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!"

Wanna bet? *g*

[DeadHead67]

6. When will those guys learn:

The Law is not something you use on those you consider your enemies,and wipe your ass on the rest of the time.

[indigobusiness]

9. That is it!

You summed it up...BRILLIANTLY!



http://sludgereport.blogspot.com/

[Fovea]

8. Flying Mother of all Shitstorms!

I fully expect the Executive legal staff to end up hanging collectively from a lightpole by morning.

I cant wait to see the headline.

A.G. to face Contempt of Congress.

[Just Me]

26. Will Rummy be next in line?

Can a VP be also held in contempt of Congress?

[ewagner]

10. You know why Ashcroft was grinning?

He just earned enough Bush* Frequent LIAR Miles to take his family on vacation!

[MoonRiver]

14. LOL!

:yourock:

[indigobusiness]

15. I think he might've been swilling some of mopaul's "milk of amnesia"...

Mopaul shares EVERYTHING.





http://sludgereport.blogspot.com/

[ewagner]

20. LOL

Milk of Amnesia!

I love it!

Mopaul is priceless!

[MoonRiver]

21. Good one!

Reminds me of that old commercial (can't remember what product), where the older kid says "Let's let Mikey have it, he eats everything" or some such facsimile :D.

[indigobusiness]

22. 'Life' cereal

strangely apropos


http://sludgereport.blogspot.com/

[MoonRiver]

23. That's it!

Where's mopaul? He might want to defend himself here! :D

[Don_G]

12. Tap Dancing In A Minefield

One he laid and lost the map to....

[wndycty]

16. Join the drive!

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x1747458

[King_Crimson]

17. If you're gonna nail Asscrust..

then nail his Numbnutted boss too!

[Fleshdancer]

18. It's bad karma to cover the Spirit of Justice and Majesty of Law

May it kick him in the ass three fold

[Jackpine Radical]

24. Chill, people. Nothin's gonna happen to Ashcroft.

Wanna bet?

[indigobusiness]

25. Except facing contempt charges...

...yeah, I'll take a piece of that action.

http://sludgereport.blogspot.com/

[ewagner]

27. So who has

the power to issue the citation?

[indigobusiness]

28. Senators are drawing up the papers, as we speak...

They will be presented to Ashcroft to prosecute himself.

...no...just kidding...I'm no political scientist or govt wonk.

I guess it will come down to a tag team death match.

just guessing.


http://sludgereport.blogspot.com/

[Jackpine Radical]

32. Like Greek and Indigo said...

Ain't gonna be no Puggies on board for this one,and without Puggies the Contempt Boat sinks before it's launched.

[Media_Lies_Daily]

35. That's what they all said before Watergate and Iran-Contra took off....

...some of the GOPers are getting pretty tired of the NeoCon Junta, too. They see a real danger that the GOP will lose more than the just the White House in November.

[Jackpine Radical]

47. I was there for Watergate.

This isn't Watergate.

And you'll notice, perhaps, that the Reagan legend doesn't seem to have suffered much harm as a result of Iran-Contra. And those of us who believe in the original 1980-model October Surprise are still required to wear tinfoil hats in when in public places.

[Just Me]

49. Awww, Radical,...don't let cynicism get to ya' *smile*.

Take a looksie at this

http://www.house.gov/rules/95-464.htm#4

,...click your heals or meditate or punch a punching-bag, whatever it takes to inspire you: then, take action e.g. makes calls or send emails or inform people.

<P.S. - you are right that this isn't "Watergate",...what this administration has done is far fucking worse than Watergate!!!>

[Jackpine Radical]

56. Well, of course you're right that it's worse than Watergate

(as John Dean informs us with his book title). What I meant was that things are nowhere near being at the pass they had reached for Nixon in '74 or even October '73. The Bushies still have enough power to enforce strict discipline among their Congressional Orcs & prevent any embarrassments like adverse votes in either house.

[indigobusiness]

60. I'll police the cynics around here...

thank you very much.


;)

[indigobusiness]

59. They kept the cameras off the slaughter in Nicaragua and El Salvador

or Reagan would've been drawn and quartered, teflon and all.

[Waverley_Hills_Hiker]

52. Thats true...arnt the Repubs the majority on committees?

I find it hard to believe they will agree to bring Ashcroft up on contempt charges...in an election year. These guys are like the mob...they cover each others back.

[indigobusiness]

46. Repugs face reelection, too.

And this is going to make for some groovy campaign ads.

If this gathers steam, listen for the splash of more rats jumping ship.

[greekspeak]

29. Lets all calm down here and take a breath

We all know that AssKKKroft the Grotesque is not going to be charged with anything. His party is in control of things...he could go in there and flip them all the bird and tell them to sit and spin and he would get away with it. I am sure Daschle and the other lapdogs will be along shortly to kiss his ass and spitshine his shoes.

Were AssKKKroft to actually be brought up on charges, every Puke shill mouthpiece in the nation would be screaming bloody murder at the "godless egghead liberals."

[indigobusiness]

30. I did...Who farted?

cynicism is the domain of the rw.

http://sludgereport.blogspot.com/

[greekspeak]

31. Its not cynicism...it is realism.

I call them as I see them. You will excuse me if I do not dance lightly round the room like a ballerina in anticipation of the downfall of AssKKKroft in the current political state of affairs.

[indigobusiness]

33. No, it's cynicism...and illustrates the dearth of idealism and doing the

right thing for its own sake, regardless of the outcome.

You can dance around like a ballerina or stomp around like an elephant...it makes no difference.

[greekspeak]

34. A dearth of idealism

I do not place blind faith in Republicans to do the right thing. To me, it is about as effective as opening the mailbox everyday and expecting to find a million dollar check.

As for my own personal philosophy, I think the most beautiful thing in the human experience is hope. What good is even love without hope? But I have long since abandoned magical thinking, that if I just cross my fingers and wish hard enough, things would happen.

I would rather put my efforts into getting Shrub, and by extension AssKKKroft and the rest of the rabble, out of the government for good than in empty dreams of watching wretched people like AssKKKroft get kicked out of office because some Republican chose that moment to get a conscience.

[indigobusiness]

36. Believe and do what you wish...it doesn't alter the FACT of your cynicism.

I would be willing to bet that a year ago you would've said that a prediction of the reality of today was a magical fantasy, as well.

[greekspeak]

37. Cynic defined

"A person who believes that only selfishness motivates human actions and who disbelieves in or minimizes selfless acts or disinterested points of view."

I do not believe "that only selfishness motives human actions." I think it plays into human reality, but I believe that humans are basically good. I do not "disbelieve in or minimize selfless acts or disinterested points of view." I well up at random acts of kindness, big and small. I think that there is a mechanism within every person that, when triggered, forces him or her to help another human being without thinking of what is in it for them. I strive to be such a person.

And what is the reality of today? How is it that much different from a year ago? Same folks in power, pulling the same stunts, and getting away with it. Same stupid press shenanigans. A little more backbone from some democrats, but not enough to do the trick.

I think most of the people who root for this cabal simply have the wool pulled over their eyes because they were never taught to be critical, in the academic sense, of what they see.

Again, I am a REALIST who looks at the situation at hand and judges based on that. I am NOT a cynic, a bitter curmudgeon of a man who has given up on humanity and cannot imagine what good can come out of any situation. Neither am I a rose-colored-glasses wearing idealist who cannot but think every day is going to be a hap-hap- happy day full of sunshine and lollipops. Neither position is defensible. So call me a cynic if you chose to; its your prerogative.

[indigobusiness]

38. I don't have to call you cynical, the dictionary does it for me.

cyn·i·cism ( P ) Pronunciation Key (sn-szm)
n.
1. An attitude of scornful or jaded negativity, especially a general distrust of the integrity or professed motives of others: the public cynicism aroused by governmental scandals.

[greekspeak]

40. Lets break it down

I broke down my definition, from Webster's, and pointed out from it the flaws in calling me a cynic. Lets try that with yours. I do not have a "general distrust" of the integrity or professed motives of others. SOME others but I defy you to find me a sane person who does not distrust at least some people. My negativity is not "jaded;" this would suggest that I have ceased to react out of reason and just accept that things are always the way they are, and cannot change. I believe that a better term for me is "skeptic."

In some cases I do accept the futility of a situation, as in the current case; in others I see light at the end of a tunnel, and in many others again, I see much good.

I do not believe in miracles, and think blind faith is for suckers. However, it is just as absurd to simply throw out hope and accept things the way they are. Through action, change can be affected. The change that needs to happen in Washington is to throw out the bums who are causing problems. That takes an election, not blind faith in a partisan committee turning against one of their own.

[indigobusiness]

42. You rationalized it.

A favorite tool of cynics.


on edit-
I shouldn've clipped this off of my Dictionary definition:

A scornfully or jadedly negative comment or act: “She arrived at a philosophy of her own, all made up of her private notations and cynicisms” (Henry James).

This speaks to your judgementalim, conceit, etc. ie "Futility" etc.

---
plus... An eagerness to give up on a difficult situation is not highly respected around these parts...regardless of how many you can convince of its "futility".

[greekspeak]

43. Rationalization is a red herring

What a lovely rhetorical device, to claim that your opponant is "rationalizing." I am defending myself in an argument. I provided evidence why two definitions of cynic and cynicism were flawed, yet you never provided evidence of my being a cynic, you just keep calling me one.

I am tired of arguing with you. You are going to continue calling me a cynic, and I am going to continue to refute that I am a cynic. If you want to beleive that AssKKKroft is going to be brought up on contempt charges and somehow punished, have fun deluding yourself. For all I care you can believe that congress is going to join hands and sway gently to "kumbaya," and personally dismantle the U.S. military while pink elephants fly out Ronald Reagan's dead asshole.

[indigobusiness]

44. .and denial is a river in Egypt

You didn't try to debate ideas. You tried to pontificate.

YOu clearly display the qualities of a cynic, including your denial.

[Just Me]

51. Whoah, greekspeak,...no offense but you are sounding exactly like a,...

,...a neocon. For real.

[indigobusiness]

53. Thank you for that...

I thought everybody had gone to sleep around here.

http://sludgereport.blogspot.com/

[taquinas101]

54. Sounds Like A Bush-Like Approach To Things

There are good people and bad people, cynical people and idealistic. There are no shades of grey, just black and white? Frankly, I don't see how labeling someone a cynic responds to the original point made that it is difficult to see Congress going after Ashcroft. Instead, we all got treated to a jolly tour of the definitional nuances of the word "cynic."

[indigobusiness]

58. I pointed out his cynical stance to emphasize the point that it is

important to do the right thing for its own sake, even when the odds are against. I didn't intend for things to develop the way they did.


http://sludgereport.blogspot.com/

[keithyboy]

39. Who care what they will be screaming. Why make it easy for them?

Dems just don't know how to fight tough and they know it. That's why they keep bullying the hell out of the Dems.

[greekspeak]

41. Amen...we need more congressional dems to grow backbones

We need less pandering by dems, and more standing up for dem principles.

[MoonRiver]

50. What makes this unlikely is that the hearings were broadcast on C-SPAN.

After today the Pukes will pay dearly if they don't do something to force Asscrafty's feet to the fire. They are already behind in national polls, and * will drag those who stink the most down with him. Time for every good Puggie to take the high road or face the consequences.

[TexasSissy]

45. He sings and dances, too?

[spanone]

48. Leahy is going after him right now!!!!

Ashcroft will NOT answer the questions. What a prick. They should march his ass off to jail. Pronto.

[SCRUBDASHRUB]

55. Watching the re-run of this on C-Span 2 now and just saw

Biden go after Asshat. Go Joe, Joe! He was grinding his teeth...can't say I blame him!?

Val