Reply #29: The short answers to those two are [View All]

[Osamasux]

Patriot Act:
Something was needed. Much of what was needed was in there. Much of what is in there is good. Then there is the unethical sludge that went along with it. Most of it was all prepared in advance and they just used the act as an excuse and a cover.

The act was presented in its entirety. There was no reasonable time to review it. Debate was limited. The handshake agreement was 'let's pass it and then we'll fix it later'. The country was united at the time and I don't think the Dems realized that A) the Right would just flat out lie about that agreement and B) they could have packed all of that crap in there so fast.


Iraq Invasion:
Outmaneuvered. Nothing to be proud of. We took to the streets. Some of our representatives (Rush Holt and Robert Byrd come proudly to mind) were extremely vocal against it. Others, especially in the Senate, worried about how their votes against Dessert Storm came back to haunt them, caved in. Some voted for it after figuring it would pass with or without them. Others truly believed the WMD lies.

How could a majority have helped? This war was railroaded through. Debate was limited, especially considering the magnitude of what they were voting on. There was no opportunity to modify the language of the resolution. It was an artificial rush to a predetermined end. If we had a majority, we could have stiffened a few more spines, slowed and maybe prevented it.