The House Judiciary Committee has voted to hold Harriet Miers and Joshua Bolton in contempt. The vote was along party lines. Yet more evidence that the system of checks and balances has been all but destroyed. One must wonder whether the White House has conveyed more than brilliant legal arguments to the House Republicans in order to keep them in line. Are there any horses out there that are missing their heads?
For reasons that are mystifying, the Democrats have decided to cite them for statutory contempt, which is unenforceable without the cooperation of the United States Attorney. There is no reason to think the U.S. Attorney will depart from the legal “principle” that was leaked last week. In other words, the U.S. Attorney will decline to present the case to a grand jury.
It was observed in the Federalist Papers that the executive would always be the most energetic branch, but there is something about the slow, plodding style of the Congressional Democrats that would surprise even Hamilton.
Bush has announced in advance that he will frustrate the will of Congress. We are beyond the point where any reasonable person can believe that he will act responsibly. There is no reason to believe that he will not do just as he says. Why go through the charade when a perfectly viable option, that of inherent contempt, exists. At the very least, Miers and Bolten will be rotting in jail while the case plays out in court. Congress merely advertises its own impotence by taking what should be a momentous step, only to have absolutely nothing happen as a result. It’s not as if they have to go this route to hold on to Republican support. They have no Republican support. They do, however, have the support of the nation. Put the nice lady in jail and let Bush play catch-up. If the courts are going to make Bush into a dictator, we might as well find that out now.
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