MSNBC: "Elections could leave Bush lame duck"...Oh, NO! Dear GOD, NO!

[Human Torch]

Elections could leave Bush lame duck
Advisers bracing for possible shift in balance of power

By Peter Baker and Michael A. Fletcher
The Washington Post
Updated: 3:33 a.m. MT Oct 18, 2006



On desks around the West Wing sit digital clocks counting down the days and hours left in the Bush presidency, reminders to the White House staff to use the time left as effectively as possible. As of 8 a.m. today, those clocks will read 825 days, four hours. But if the elections go the way pollsters and pundits predict, they might as well read 20 days. At least that would be the end of George W. Bush's presidency as he has known it. If Democrats win one or both houses of Congress on Nov. 7, the result will transform the remainder of Bush's time in office and dramatically shift the balance of power in Washington. Ending a dozen years basically passed in exile, congressional Democrats would have a chance to help steer the nation again -- following a campaign spent mostly assailing Bush's vision rather than detailing their own.

Around Washington, key figures in both parties have been trying to figure out what a Democratic victory would mean. Bush has been meeting privately with Cabinet secretaries in recent weeks to map out an agenda for his final two years in office. The White House says it is not making contingency plans for a Democratic win, but Bush advisers are bracing for what they privately recognize is the increasing likelihood. And Democratic leaders have been conferring about what they would do should voters return them to power.

Emboldened by victory, and bitter from grievance, Democrats could use their ascendance to block Bush's agenda, force him to respond to theirs and begin a new era of aggressive oversight and investigation. A Democratic victory, analysts in both parties said, could mean that some of Bush's tax cuts would not be renewed, attempts to revive his Social Security investment plan would be doomed and efforts to further broaden national security powers in the face of civil liberties concerns would be thwarted.

Most worrisome to the White House is the subpoena power that Democrats would gain with a majority in the House or Senate. For years, Republicans have been mostly deferential in scrutinizing the Bush administration, but Democrats are eager to reexamine an array of issues, such as Vice President Cheney's energy task force, the Jack Abramoff scandal and preparations for the Iraq war.

[whistle]

1. How about a wounded jackal

[AndyA]

2. It's way past time that someone pulled the plug on this man's insanity.

The American voters have HAD ENOUGH!

[MrModerate]

3. Gotta love that subpoena power . . .

Not because I'm in favor of trying to demolish the boy-king's castle in the last 2 years of his residence, but because all the other rocks such a tool could turn over should pretty much annihilate the 'Lican ranks for 2008 and position us to really begin repairing the damage done to the US and the world by this cabal of incompetent revolutionaries.

[HereSince1628]

4. Personally I prefer the illusion of a castrated toad, over lame duck.

However you look at it Democratic control of even one branch of the legislature will put an end to the creeping totalitarian control of the US government and begin the demolition of Cheney's executive power grabbing reign of terror.

[calimary]

23. Yeah, me, too. Or a frog like one of the unfortunate ones he got

a hold of when he was a kid - that he put a firecracker in, and threw up into the air. Yeah. one of those. It's time to end the reign of terror of this would-be dictator. Get 'em ALL under subpoena, and haul their asses into the hearing rooms to testify UNDER OATH, on pain of PERJURY.

At that point, we'd ALL have to do our part - be loud, vocal, and ever-present. You think you've written letters to the editor already? Wait til we have to provide the Dems with huge and effective phalanxes of "troops" of their own - to back them up as they start storming the Bastille. We'll have to make ourselves into a force to be reckoned with. Just because we may wind up winning some great victories, we will NOT be able to sit on our laurels and relax in confidence that now, finally, good will triumph over evil and things will just magically correct themselves. We're gonna have to MAKE IT HAPPEN. And hold our Dems' feet to the fire to make sure their backbone transplants take hold. Because there will be a ferocious, angry outcry and perhaps even an uprising stoked by the limbaughs, vanities, hate radio all over the dial, and Pox "news" bringing up the rear. That's all gonna come at us like 100 Hurricane Katrinas. We have to be ready for it.

Don't for ONE SPLIT SECOND assume they'll be so demoralized that they'll slink back under their rocks to lick their wounds. They'll be coming after us with everything they've got.

[flyingfysh]

5. pity the poor waterfowl

The ducks will never get over Bush being called any kind of duck.

[iamahaingttta]

6. He's already a Lame Fuck...

At least that's what Victor Ashe says...

[pansypoo53219]

7. i want

DEAD duck.

[left is right]

8. I want to see that lame duck suffer

I want some big bad wolf, such as Conyers rip all the feathers off of its poor crippled body. I have a vision of the duck as featherless, blind in one eye, and hobbling on a homemade crutch with an arm in a blood-spattered sling

[Clark2008]

9. Why do reporters keep saying this shit:

following a campaign spent mostly assailing Bush's vision rather than detailing their own.

That's simply NOT true. Democrats can't help if reporters refuse to cover their plans and they can't help if the media THEN says they have no plans because the media has not been covering those plans.

:eyes:

What fodder.

[Human Torch]

14. I heard that one over and over again yesterday...

...Imus had some right-wing talk show host who was the epitome of bitchy, catty, smirky smarm...like movie critic Rex Reed after 200 cups of coffee. It takes a lot for me to hit the "mute" button, but after a few minutes, I did. He went on and on about "If the Democrats don't like the war in Iraq, THEY need to COME UP WITH A PLAN..."

Just another pathetic attempt to "energize the base."

:patriot:

[Javaman]

10. The one thing I can't wait for is...

When we take back one or both houses, it will be fun to watch moron* rant rave and scream over how it was everyone else's fault but his. (it will be like the last days of hitler when he was blaming all the generals, spies and traitors who abandoned him)

it will the the tantrum to end all tantrums.

The question will be, who will get the blame? Because sure as shit, morons* not going to take any.

[calimary]

24. There'll be a whole new shift of "the help" assigned to round up all

the empty booze bottles that'll be all over everywhere - before any outsider sees them. And there may be more public appearances where you can see little signs of more scuffs on the face, either from his own falling down, or maybe laura throwing something at him (before she stalks off in a huff to check into the Mayflower again).

[dubyaD40web]

11. He'll be one anyway.

Even if the repukes were to retain control. Do you think they'll "toe the line" with him? Hell no. *'s career is over in 2 years. They still have elections to win. They'll give him the cold shoulder for the remainder of his term anyway.

[radfringe]

12. heh...worth a reposting of this one

[savemefromdumbya]

13. quack etc.

then it will be time to roast the little duck with an impeachment

[Imagevision]

15. Bush - Cheney quack - quack quack - quack...

[liberalhistorian]

16. Oh NO!

Whatever shall we do? Wherever shall we go? I just can't STAND it! :evilgrin:

[THUNDER HANDS]

17. even if we win

Bush will act as if Congress doesn't exist. He's been like that since he was put into office.

[subterranean]

25. A Democratic Congress might be harder to ignore.

Right now Bush can do whatever he wants because he knows the Republican rubber-stamp Congress will go along with him (in exchange, he approves all their pork-barrel spending bills).

I think a Democratic Congress would not be so cooperative.

[LeftishBrit]

18. Wow, you mean that the ruler of the country might actually have to deal

with an OPPOSITION?

Just like in a DEMOCRACY???

OMG, how unprecedented and horrible!

[bob4460]

19. You know that is their strategy

They have Bush up front, then Dick Cheney, then Dennis Hastard(sp?).They know that we don't want those idiots in there so we go the censure route

[gratuitous]

20. Oh, those bitter, bitter Democrats

Not like the happy warrior Republicans, who never, e-e-e-e-ver let partisanship hold sway over what's best for the country.* Those darned libruls are just "bitter," and if they win in November, they'll be "emboldened" and they might hold hearings and issue subpoenas! What could be worse than that for our country?

You can almost hear Baker and Fletcher, the reporters, saying "I'm scared!" and "Hold me" to each other.

*Case in point: Republicans held a mere 150 hours of hearings on whether or not the Clinton Administration used the White House holiday card list to solicit campaign contributions, but held a whopping 12 hours of hearing on allegations of torture at Abu Ghraib.

[Radical Activist]

21. Two impeachments = President Pelosi

Its not as though they haven't made enough impeachable offenses. Take out Cheney first, then Bush.

[The Magistrate]

22. That Is What The Country Needs, Sir

"Most worrisome to the White House is the subpoena power that Democrats would gain with a majority in the House or Senate. For years, Republicans have been mostly deferential in scrutinizing the Bush administration, but Democrats are eager to reexamine an array of issues, such as Vice President Cheney's energy task force, the Jack Abramoff scandal and preparations for the Iraq war."

"LET'S GO GET THOSE BUSH BASTARDS!"