Friday, February 24, 2006

Rant of the Week: GOP Congress says Oral Sex is Bad, Violating the Constitution is Okay

GOP Congress: Oral Sex is Bad, Violating the Constitution is Okay

Every Republican member of the House of Representatives, which includes Congressman Ralph Regula of Canton, and every Republican Senator, which includes both Mike DeWine and George Voinovich should be asked this question: how do you justify impeaching a president who lied in a civil lawsuit deposition about oral sex, but then refuse to back hearings about the NSA warrant-less spying that could violate the U.S. Constitution?

Let's see: Clinton's lies about oral sex potentially prejudiced one person, Paula Jones, who was suing him in a civil lawsuit that was eventually settled. Bush's NSA warrant-less spying potentially violated the rights of thousands of Americans. One warrants an impeachment and the other doesn't even warrant a hearing? Does that make any sense?

This Bush NSA spying program, and the Republican Congress's failure to oversee this program, shows the attitude of the Republican Party that drives people nuts. The attitude is that "The rules don't apply to us. They apply to you, but not to us." Whether it is warrant-less spying, holding votes open in the House of Representatives for hours so members can be cajoled, bribed, or threatened, or not buying a hunting stamp in Texas, the motivation is the same: "We don't have to play by the rules."

Now, while that is the motivation of the GOP, there is no reason why Democrats have to go along. Democratic politicians and candidates should constantly point out to the media, and to voters, when Republicans refuse to follow the rules. We should put it in simple language such as "You believed that a president should be impeached for lying about oral sex, but you don't think that a president should be investigated for violating the Constitution?" We should keep asking this, and other questions, over and over again until the media finally starts demanding that Republicans play by the rules they delight in imposing on others.
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MCDAC gives permission for the reprinting of the above without attribution.

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