Leahy Talks Tough - But What Comes Next? [UPDATED]

The way the Democratic Party's audacious "Politics of Capitulation" tends to works is a simple formula:

Sound the alarm. Talk tough. Capitulate.

1) They point out the crime, rallying their base against radical conservatism. 2) Then they demand apologies, demand compliance, demand resignations. 3) Finally, after conservatives, sometimes literally tell Democrats to fuck themselves, they give the conservatives what they want and STFU.

Keep in the back of your mind that it was Pat Leahy who Cheney told to go fuck himself at a ceremony in the Senate Chamber. Today, Leahy landed squarely on the audacious Phase Two. Talking tough.

Senator Rejects Bush Privilege Claim

This summer, Leahy sounded the alarm when he issued the subpoenas to Harriet Miers and Karl Rove about what involvement the White House had in the firing of United States Attorney Generals for partisan political reasons.

The administration told the Democrats to fuck themselves when it claimed executive privilege for all documents and testimony sought, and said that Rove didn't need to even show up for a hearing. Rove's aides Sara Taylor and Scott Jennings appeared, but refused to discuss the firings. A subpoena for documents was sent to Bolten, and the White House refused.

Today, Leahy ruled that the claims of executive privilege and immunity were not legally valid, a necessary step toward issuing contempt citations in his committee.

The president's lack of involvement in these firings — by his own account and that of many others — calls into question any claim of executive privilege.

As the Times put it so delicately, "It was not clear, however, that Leahy's ruling Thursday would amount to more than a threat before Congress adjourns next month for the holidays."

Indeed, it is not clear if this tough talk will go anywhere. It's nice to see certainly, it sure keeps the White House busy with things other than what it would normally tackle if left unimpeded - namely, the destruction of the world.

So I'll put Leahy in the "Lead" category for now, but if he ends up doing what he did last time President Cheney told him to fuck himself*, then he'll lose these kudos.

* He did nothing, of course.

[UPDATE - 12-10-2007]- Leahy sucks.
Yup. Coward. Moron. The Republicans asked him to compromise and he agreed... by not calling for the contempt vote. How is that a compromise? It looks to me like the Republicans didn't want to have to vote, and now they don't have to vote. What exactly did the GOP give up in this "compromise"? I'll tell you: nothing. What did the Dems give up? Everything. How is that a compromise? It's not. It's capitulation. Useless sacks of crap, these Democrats.

How did it happen? Specter said to Leahy: "the constitutional dispute would end up spurring a lengthy court battle that would likely be decided after President Bush’s term ends."

And instead of Leahy responding: "Yeah, no shit. Exactly. Nobody is allowed to break the law. Enforcing the law is our job, numbnuts."

Instead, he gave in.