If that plucky little underdog would just try hard and believe . . .

[patcox2]

Why, we could impeach Bush and Block Alito, hell, we could even impeach Thomas and Scalia, too. If onoly they'd just fight.

Yeah, right. And 2+2=5.

[bryant69]

1. Thank you for that defeatism

There's nothing like defeatism to lead the team to victory. After all we all remember that great scene in "Knute Rockne: All American" when he says to the team "Yeah you guys ain't got a chance." And who can forget that inspiring scene in Stand and Deliver when the teacher says to a troubled student. "You are dumber than a sack of hammers. Have you considered giving up and joining a gang?"

Thanks. These inspiring words have really turned it around.

Bryant
Check it out --> http://politicalcomment.blogspot.com

[patcox2]

2. Yes, recognition of reality and sensible strategies to deal with

reality is defeatism.

Uninformed fantasies about how we could just do the impossible if we only believed, thats the thing to do.

Hey, impeachment will be won at the polls this november, not in congress before then. How do you win at the polls? By paying attention to the public who will be voting and what they want (and on this, they don't feel strongly). By not giving your opponent a hook to turn into a campaign issue.

Its about elections, not hopeless legislative symbolic displays.

[bryant69]

3. Ah, so you are really proposing a strategy for victory?

And what do the American people want? Democrats like Zell Miller and Joe Liebermann who do whatever Bush says?

Bryant

[patcox2]

4. There are 37 or so dems in favor of fillibuster.

Two things get me angry. One is berating the democratic minority for not being able to do the impossible (or for not taking a futile stand and going down in flames).

The second is lumping them all in together and saying "the democrats are wimps" or the democrats have no spines and crap like that.

There's a third thing, too, thats blaming the DNC, usually done by people who are completely ignorant of what the DNC does and is.

And there's a fourth thing, the failure to recognize that some dems have to vote the way they do because they come from a district that will vote them out of office and put in a republican if they don't.

The people who do these things don't know the least thing about politics and have been watching too many stupid movies in which the hero overcomes impossible odds and there is a happy ending all because he just wouldn't quit.

[bryant69]

5. I don't harbor too many illusions about us winning

If they can get enough votes to force them to trigger the nuclear option, that might be a good thing.

I will say that if there is such a thing as party loyalty, the fourth one shouldn't matter, and if there isn't, than screw them. Harsh i know, but at some point the Democrats have to look like they are fighting back. I wish they hadn't screwed up the hearings so royally, but there you go.

Bryant
Check it out --> http://politicalcomment.blogspot.com

[MadHound]

6. Funny you should say those words

"The people who do these things don't know the least thing about politics "

I've been in Democratic politics for over thirty plus years, from working the streets to convention delegate, I've seen the nitty gritty ugliness that is real politik up close and personal. And I also know that the Democratic leadership can, and indeed should, crack the whip and drag every single Democratic Senator into one single block opposing Alito with a filibuster. "What, you want party money for election this fall? Get back in line and you'll get it" "What, you want support for your little pork barrel project in the next budget bill? Then sing like there's no tommorrow on this filibuster and you'll get it"

Real politick is about twisting arms, and if the Democrats don't come up with enough votes to sustain a filibuster, then they haven't done their job of arm twisting, it's that simple.

Stop making excuses for failure.