W.'s XMas List from Lame Duck Congress: Dems Get Ready to Fillibuster

[McCamy Taylor]

With the House certain to swing Democratic and the Senate likely to go that way, the next two years are going to be very difficult from the Resident-in-Chief. He can no longer expect any legislation on demand. No more "Neuter the Bill of Rights" laws. No more declarations of war. He canexpect a brisk stream of investigations into matters such as why Al Gonzales and the DOJ hace failed to enforce the Voting Rights Act and why Oil Companies have been fixing prices. He can also expect legislation that will be very difficult for Republicans to vote "no" against or veto like raises in the minimum wage or fixes to the Medicare prescription drug plan or legislation to encourage alternative energy use--legislation which will improve Democrats chances for success in 2008.

Therefore, W. and Cheney have probably already drawn up their wish list and presented it to Hasturt and Frist. Here, in no particular order, are some of the bills which Congressional Dems had better be ready to denounce, obstruct and veto is they want to have any chance of accomplishing anything in the next two years.

Presidential veto power over Congressional Investigations This is going to show up in some form somewhere, if it isnt already buried in the small print of one of the "terra" bills that Congress has already passed. Not just the ability to withhold administration documents on national security. That is "executive privilege." The power to squash a Congressional investigation into--say--oil company price fixing by giving the DOJ the authority to take precedence by declaring its own, super-secret investigation.

Weaken the Voting Right's Act by passing some law that is supposedly designed to repeal HAVA in the wake of E-vote problems this election but which contains language that releases states from all federal voting regulation. This will be retroactive and will keep Conyers from investigating prior elections and this one as well as cleaning up elections before 2008.

Give W. unlimited power to declare war whenever he wants so that he will not have to ask before he invades Iran.

Give the executive branch the right to set the military budget for the next two years so that Congress will have no say in how the war in Iraq is waged.

Permenant tax breaks for corporations

Give executive signing orders the weight of law

There are probably other items on the XMas list.

Be ready.

[BattyDem]

1. Do they even need to have investigations?

Isn't there already enough evidence to impeach him?