You know the Democratic Party is completely marginalized when NPR can spend ten minutes (back to back news stories) on the passage of the Intelligence Bill and not utter the word 'Democrat' once. Seriously, I am not exaggerating. Listen to them. It is as if the Democrats don't even exist.
People who have been paying attention know that Democrats overwhelming supported various version of this bill all along in both Houses. The only reason this even came to a vote was the pushing of the Democrats and a few Republicans against the ridiculous partisan "leadership" of Dennis Hastert, and the sitting-on-his-wallet-fat-with-political-capital President.
Republicans get credit for another thing they dragged their feet on all along. Democrats are less than afterthoughts. Is this the bold, new "opposition party" we have to look forward to? Nice going, you bunch of freaking jackasses.
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I also posted this as a diary at kos, and got an unexpected response from DHinMI, a poster I respect. He sarcastically dismissed me and said I should get a clue. Not sure what he meant, but I realize my point may not have been perfectly clear. Here was my response to him:
My problem is NPR's coverage (and most other coverage) is that this whole debate has been portrayed as "the President and House Republicans got together and came up with this Intelligence Reform package that was in danger of not passing/reaching a vote. Great job!"
Clear Implication: the President and Hastert are gettin' things done. Bullshit. Hastert scuttled this thing already and would have again if he could have, his whole "majority of the majority" thing. There were 206 Dems supporting this, plus a minority of Republicans. It always would have passed, but he didn't it want it to pass or the Dems to get credit for it if it did. And bush hasn't "reached across any aisles" on this, he barely reached down to slap his own Speaker.
Secondary implication: The Dems, by virtue of not doing a good enough "public" job of demanding the vote, don't even warrant any kind of coverage on the matter. Or worse -- by ommission from the credit, the implication could be that they opposed it!!
It works out like Homeland Security... A solution opposed by Republicans. Based in part by recommendations proposed by Commissions that Republicans opposed. Republican leaders refuse to bring to a vote. The Republican President sits on his ass for months. End result? Republicans get to brag about the great new program/reform/department they came up with.
As I finish writing this I realize, yeah, I still have a problem with the Dems. They blew it again. They should have seized the issue and been the Opposition Party cornering the Republican leadership into passage of a needed bill (which in large measure they did), but for whatever reason, that tree fell in a forest for no one to hear.
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