What the Democrats will Do With Power

The President's approval rating is sadly low, most Americans disapprove of the Iraq war (however misleading that statement may be, since some disapprove that we are there at all, and others that we are not there with sufficient numbers), the Republican party has been rocked by scandal after scandal in the past two years and has spent massive amounts of money while not fixing much. If ever there were a time ripe for a Democratic win, this is it. The only argument that Republicans can make (and it's a convincing one) is that they, the GOP, are much better prepared to handle national security matters and fight the war on terror. Today, the Democrats are helping them make the case.

Flashback to 1988, congresswoman Nancy Pelosi joined many other members of congress in voting to impeach Judge Alcee Hastings. Hastings was convicted in 1989 of extortion, perjury and falsifying documents. That same Alcee Hastings (elected to Congress in 1992 from Florida) is now up for the job of ranking Democratic member of the House Intelligence Committee. You know, the committee that sees all the most sensitive information. If the Democrats were to win a majority in the upcoming mid-term elections, Hastings would be up (not for Ranking member but) for Chairman. Why would the Democrats put a convict into the Chairman's seat? The current ranking member, Jane Harman of California, is seen as too lenient toward President Bush. Way to put politics ahead of national security, Dems!

There is no guarantee that the Democrats would put Hastings in, but the fact that they have not made it clear continues to make the point the Republicans are pushing. Democrats are weak on security issues, they are weak on defense. In today's political landscape those trump everything else.