Some random thoughts on Roberts, Rove, etc...

[ktowntennesseedem]

I keep playing the scene from "An American President" where the president and his adviser are shooting pool and discussing their agenda. One of them argues that they should "fight the fights they can win," but the other insists they must "fight the fights that need fighting."

Some here at DU are calling for immediate action in fighting his nomination, while others are seeing it as a lost cause and an unwanted distraction from the Rove/Plame mess just when it was getting interesting. I would argue that it's not a matter of deciding whether we should fight the necessary battles or the winnable battles, but simply being able to tell the difference.

Personally, I say we fight Roberts with all we have. We might just pull off a win, but I think he will eventually be confirmed. Still, it is a fight that needs fighting, and we can do so without losing energy or focus on the Rove/Plame fiasco. We need not declare war from day one; there will be plenty of time to oppose and object, and even filibuster or shutdown if it comes to that. But in the meantime, the "wait-and-see" approach seems to have taken the wind out of the Repugs' sails, and the bite out of the story that was meant to push Rove completely off the public radar.

With "Leak-gate" still lurking just under the surface, I also say we continue to kick, yell, scream, etc., this issue back onto the front page. (And if my local paper is any indication it won't take much; the Knoxville News Sentinel had Roberts on page one of course, but a new Rove story was at the top of page 4.) This story is not going away, and the possibilities for a win in this battle are endless. This is a fight that we can win, mainly because there are so many ways to define a win.

Both are fights that need fighting, and both may be winnable. But I think the key in all of this is determining which fights are winnable, and which are not. We can, and must, continue to fight even the hopeless causes, but knowing this early on we can fight in a way that will enhance, and not detract from, our efforts in those fights we can win.

(Forgive my rambling; my thoughts aren't turning into words quite like I wanted.)

[Mike Nelson]

1. Confirmed or not, I want to say, "I opposed him" in the future. -nt

nhty

[ktowntennesseedem]

2. Well said!

[aspberger]

3. maybe there will be something in his background

to emerge that will force the WH to pull his nomination. With the deadline looming Bush made be forced to choose a more centrist jurist to achieve a speedy confirmation. Concede nothing.