I will take this opportunity to, once again, express my continuing astonishment (and rising sense of despair) with how completely useless the Democrats are.

If one was conspiracy minded, you would think that it would mean that the Dems have been completely bought off through their core investment in American empire, war mongering, the surveillance state, and the military-industrial-national security state complex.

Ok, it doesn't take a conspiracy minded sort to see that that is indeed the case.

But shouldn't, like, more be happening? Something? By my count, everything the Bush administration has wanted has been handed to them, more or less unimpeded. While a nicompoop like Gonzalez was given the heave, on the more important things (such as government sanctioned torture, the trainwreck in Iraq, mountaintop removal, excessive rotations for troops, the list goes on) the Dems have done what political scientist usually refer to as "jackshit."

Just one tiny example: why, for petesake, aren't the Democrats using their power to pry the criminal lice out the Bush administration so the whole country can see their pulsating grub bodies?

It defies logic, history, and common sense to think that this administration, built on equal measures of moral corruption, self-righteousness, and criminal intent, has not committed a wide range of illegalities for which they should be held accoountable. Hell, half the kooks on the internet have prepared indictments for impeachment. Something must be made to stick. Lets expose them and jail the crooks. Now. Before they all retire to great wealth on the Hallibruton and Northrup Grumman board while the rest of us are lining up to have the new Clintoncare barcode numbers tattooed on our foreheads.

Where are the hearings, hearings, hearings, we have been promised?

Must the Democrats really do nothing? Must they allow Bush a free hand to continue what he is doing, or not doing? Must we really have this hollow and ineffective a government (and be taxed for it)?

The permanent campaign makes it impossible to get anything accomplished politically.

For example, Rahm Emanuel shied massively away from the Turkish genocide vote because politics trumps morality for him. Remember, he is a Clintonite. They are blind to genocide when it is politically convenient (ask the Rwandans).

A two year presidential election is absurd. The real problem is that the Democrats don't believe they can win in 2008 if they look like they are going after Republicans, so they are walking on eggshells.

But perhaps the country would be better served if we didn't continue to illegally detain and torture evildoers? If we at long last punished someone (anyone?) for failing to prevent 9-11 or for the lies that led us into Iraq? Or punish them for myriad crimes since? Or if we pushed our country toward some kind of rational energy policy? Something should happen other than exporting our jobs overseas and immigrant bashing.