Novak: Hadley's Capitol Hill scouting trip didn't go so well ~

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/07/08/AR2007070800923.html?hpid=opinionsbox1

'Scouting' the Hill on Iraq

By Robert D. Novak
Monday, July 9, 2007; Page A15

National security adviser Stephen J. Hadley visited Capitol Hill just before Congress adjourned for the Fourth of July. Meetings with a half-dozen senior Republican senators were clearly intended to extinguish fires set by Sen. Richard Lugar's unexpected break from President Bush's Iraq policy. They failed.

Hadley called his expedition a "scouting trip," leading one senator to ask what he was seeking. It was not advice on how to escape from Iraq. Instead, Hadley appeared interested in how previous supporters of Bush's course had drifted away. In the process, though, he planted seeds of concern. Some senators were left with the impression that the White House still does not recognize the scope of the Iraq dilemma. Worse yet, they see the president running out the clock until April, when a depleted U.S. military can be blamed for the fiasco.

The tone set by Hadley signaled that the White House did not understand that Lugar, in his fateful speech on the Senate floor the night of June 25, was sending a distress signal to Bush that a change in policy can be instituted only by the president and that it is imperative he act now. Hadley was told that it is not too late to go back to the Iraq Study Group's 79 recommendations, neglected since their release in December. But the White House still seems unaware of the building tide, typified by the defection Thursday of six-term Republican Sen. Pete Domenici (who was not among the graybeards "scouted" by Hadley).

The White House no more expected Domenici to jump overboard than it did Lugar. The shock of Lugar's speech was the reason Hadley quickly scheduled sessions with senior Republican senators such as Lugar and Chuck Hagel, the top two GOP members on the Foreign Relations Committee, and John Warner, former chairman of the Armed Services Committee. "The president has sent me up here on a scouting mission," Hadley said to begin the meetings.

more...

The Founders' elegant plan had the House speaking for the people, proposing such legislation as the governed (by consent) might desire. The Senate (named for the Roman Senatus - the word Senatus is derived from the Latin word senex, meaning old man or elder; Senate is, by etymology, the 'Council of Elders' - Wikipedia) are supposed to be the more experienced, wiser group who would provide a check on rash actions by the likely-to-be-excitable representatives. The Executive is supposed to be a bureaucrat - a 'chief operating officer' who runs the bureaucracy that implements the laws. They took great pains to avoid the inevitable power grabs by presidents - they did NOT want a 'unitary executive' (king). There were battles then, as now, with people like Alexander Hamilton insisting the masses were incompetant to make decisions and a 'dear leader' should be in charge. The Senate was designated as the body to review and confirm appointments that executive might make, with the intent of avoiding exactly what we have seen the past six years.

Ironically, what we have now is a Senate populated by a large number of far-from-wise, corrupt 'old men' who have been shirking their responsibility both legislatively and as overseers. They are bought and paid for. Perhaps, though, they feel some fear of having overextended their arrogance.

This story shows, we can hope, that maybe, just maybe, we are taking a tiny step back from the abyss. Maybe, just maybe, the power grab that has gone so far and so fast will be stifled. My greatest fear, though, is that they figure out they pushed a little too hard and fast, and pull back just enough to lull the country into complacency.

We need to heed RFK Jr. We need to throw the "rotten politicians" out. No death row conversions allowed! We need to restore the government to its design. The tough part for some of us is going to be that the 'rotten' ones are not all republicans. But that is a good place to start; there are plenty of 'high value targets'.

a depleted U.S. military can be blamed for the fiasco."

:grr::nuke::grr:

Anyone know why that month is special?

by April 2008. Also might be the time when funds will have to be reauthorized, and that will be an uphill slog, hopefully.

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=aTgkfnUXWQiA&refer=home