Office of the Independent Blogger

A few days ago, I asked a friend where all the Terror Alert Warnings had gone. My friend, being more cynical than I, said that, it being 2006, there’d be another soon. I discounted the possibility, but the rumblings have begun as the chatter in the press begins, aided by leaks. That’s incredible, isn’t it, but I think the cynicism on my part toward this leak is justified considering. If Republicans are good for something, it’s for spreading cynicism through the country, like with news like this. The shortened story involves Arlen Specter, the NSA and Dick Cheney. Cheney lobbied Republicans to kill NSA Wiretapping Oversight Hearings: Specter took offense and wrote him a scathing letter, which read, in part, ““I was surprised, to the say the least, that you sought to influence, really determine, the action of the Committee without calling me first, or at least calling me at some point.” I don’t take too much heart in this, though, and don’t see it as proof of Specter being a good Senator before a loyal Republican: this merely tells me that, had Cheney asked him first, he might’ve been willing to kill hearings.

I haven’t seen any leadership from Specter on this issue, except for promises that he’d look into it. But given that this story broke ages ago, his inaction is quite telling. He’s no more a young Peter Rodino than Bob Woodward is a young Bob Woodward, and this lack of leadership in Washington is a disgrace. I sent the recent message to Arlen this evening,

Mr. Specter,

Either put up or shut up with regard to your threatened hearings on the NSA. You are dragging your feet and have achieved nothing substantial. Everything about your handling of this matter makes the more cynical — or, as I’d call it, tuned to the tone of life — among us believe that you are a phony with no more intention of investigating the NSA’s program than Iran has to disarm honestly.

You are a clawless Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, sir. It is cruel to make those among us with faith in you believe that you plan on making change to the system and holding people accountable when you don’t want to. When you were young and idealistic, you used your power in government to vote against Robert Bork as a pander and smear Anita Hill for the same reason. Now’s your chance — probably your ONLY chance — to fix that.

Not that you guys actually read these things, or your staff members genuinely respond to them.

Almost immediately after I sent this, I received a note from Spectre’s staff telling me that they can only respond if it’s from someone in Pennsylvania. Convenient, huh? Senator Conrad of North Dakota found time to write back to me last year when I sent him a message about the budget, and I appreciated that muchly. I think Conrad is a man who should be involved with our Treasury and Budget in a future Democratic Administration. But that’s neither here nor there except to show that Arlen is fradulent in every way possible. So are the Republicans. Whenever Arlen Spectre is out in the press and terror alerts are issued in election years, the specter of cynicism looms large in my mind, as I am one to learn from history.

Republicans have a history of pledging something but not delivering, as well as of being submissive to the demands of their elders, both of which Arlen is guilty of. They’re also known to lie a tad, as they do with these terror warnings. And, for kicks, let me tell you that they’re known to say ridiculous things, from Bushisms to this from Louisiana’s GOP Senator. What’d he say? That the Gay Marriage Ban is more important than other matters. I repeat: Cynicism is appropriate.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, June 7th, 2006 at 7:34 pm and is filed under Outside Retort (Current Affairs).