Theater of the absurd - hubris edition

Bush, Democrats struggle for spy deal

Congress and the White House struggled Friday over expanding authority to eavesdrop on suspected foreign terrorists in a high-stakes showdown over national security.

"We're still hopeful that something can be worked out," said Ellen Cioccio, a spokeswoman for Director of National Intelligence Mike McConnell, after a day of fitful negotiations. "They're still talking."

Democratic leaders cleared the way for votes on different measures — at least two in the Senate and one in the House.

That left the outcome in doubt hours after Bush implored Congress to send him a bill before leaving this weekend on a monthlong vacation.

In the House, Democrats claimed they had acceded to White House requests, but Bush's aides disputed that.

So Bush insists they the House and the Senate Stay in session until they give him the bill he wants. That worked pretty well in Iraq didn't it? So what does Bush want? This is double hubris.

The president threatened to veto any bill by the Democratic-led Congress that his intelligence director deemed unable "to prevent an attack on the country. . . McConnell and Attorney General Alberto Gonzales would oversee the eavesdropping process, according to the White House plan. That prompted howls of protest from Democrats who distrust the attorney general to protect privacy rights. "We need a legal framework around this program," Reid said. "No more blank check for this attorney general, no more blank checks for any attorney general."

That's right Alberto Gonzales is going to oversee the program. You know Gonzo, the guy even the most partisan Republicans think is incompetent and everybody else thinks is a pathological liar, political hack and Bush/Cheney sycophant.

But of course security is not what it's all about, as lambert at Corrente explains.

Besides, this isn’t about surveillance at all. It’s about making sure the lawbreaking of the criminal Bush regime is never exposed and retroactively legalized, and about blaming the Dems when a second 9/11 happens on Bush’s watch.

I mean, it’s all too transparent, and right out of the Republican playbook. Why are the Dems even taking it seriously?

So go ahead congress - take that vacation. You don't deserve it but if you stay you might be tempted to do something stupid.

Update
Well they didn't leave before it was too late
Senate passes Bush-backed spy bill
Ralph says it all with just a title - Democrats Cave in Senate