Accountability

No, that's not the same thing as a Blame Game. Lou Dobbs is running a piece right now about Michael Brown, noting that while Democrats were squawking in the last few weeks about Brownie's lack of experience and incompetence, most of them were just fine with him back when he was confirmed as Asst FEMA Director back in 1999 under a Democractically-run Senate. Lieberman was the head of the Committee then, and Dobbs just showed a bunch of clips of Lieberman hemming and hawing about him over the course of 6 years....

I had a great conversation the other night with one of my mentors, who was himself a long-serving elected Democrat at local and state levels and then was a Clinton-appointee to head a federal agency. Great guy with the kinds of insights that can only come from spending a life in the mix. He and I are on the same page, that while we are both die-hard liberal Democrats, we're getting tired of hearing the party line -- or worse, hearing nothing at all -- from the current Democrats in Congress. The abscense of opposition on everything - from the Iraq war to social policy to Hurricane Katrina response - is maddening. I can't think of a single member of Congress who speaks for me. If they're there, they are not speaking loudly enough.

Which leads me to my current attitude.... if the Democrats in Congress don't star speaking loudly, start representing the now-majority of Americans who feel that thsi country is headed in the wrong direction, then good riddance. Get rid of them all in 2006 - clean house (the perfect phrase for it) and bring in some new people with new ideas...and maybe even a backbone. Incumbency is no guarantee. This is a time for everyone to prove themselves worthy of our votes.

Of course, I live in DC, so none of what I say really matters anyway.....