McHugh Watch

On July 12th, after receiving the first report mandated of the President regarding the Iraqi government’s attainment of benchmarks, the house passed the Responsible Redeployment from Iraq Act. It was in response to the dismal report that the Iraq government has failed to make any progress, much less satisfactory progress, on over half of the 18 benchmarks that congress mandated for continued funding.

It outlines a comprehensive policy strategy for force reduction in Iraq. The bill is policy statement not a tactical direction. Rightfully, tactics should be left to the military commanders to carry out policy. McHugh and the Bush enablers continue to spew the message that congress has no right to make policy and should be left to the military.

Nothing can be further from the truth, and obviously, Mr. McHugh did not learn the lessons that he should have when he had got out of serving in Vietnam by getting a Masters of Public Administration from Syracuse. He did not learn that it was the intent of the founding fathers when they created the Constitution that the elected representatives of the people make policy and the military carries it out. Why else would they have make is so that only Congress can declare war and not some general.

The Bush enablers never cease to re-codify the language. They no longer refer to it as a “surge”, but have again invented a new moniker: a counteroffensive. A counteroffensive that will last for years without any stabilization of Iraq or the Iraqi government stepping up to the plate towards any of the benchmarks.

It is becoming fashionable on Capital Hill for the Bush enablers to become critics of the President. Most notably those that are up for re-election in competitive races in 2008. Republican Senators are dropping like flies and there are now significant Road to Damascus experiences being felt by Republican representatives.

John McHugh continues to be an Bush enabler voting against the Redeployment Act. He can afford to be “principled” because his base in Jefferson County associates him with Fort Drum; Fort Drum with economic infusions of government money; and the Iraq War with Fort Drum. The unspoken, but often whispered, connection is that the Iraq War is good for Fort Drum and Fort Drum is good for Jefferson County. So, we are willing to sacrifice blood for economic prosperity. Since John McHugh has so successfully created the perception that he is responsible for Fort Drum, and that the vast majority of the voting public in Jefferson County has bought that hook line and sinker, he will continue to support the war. Madison, Clinton and Franklin, Essex, and Oneida Counties are not enough to out weigh the effect of Jefferson County on the vote tally.

No matter what he says about his “concerns” regarding the Iraq war, he continues to vote in support of George Bush. We need to remember his actions. No death bed conversions for him. It’s too late. Anything he does to distance himself from Bush will be in words only and not in actions. He has done enough damage with George Bush. The only reason for him to “convert” is because he’s scared. That’s not good enough. He sees no foreseeable challenge, so there is no impetus to change. He is a consummate politician who is laying the ground work for a conversion should he need it. By expressing concern over and over again, and yet doing nothing to support that concern, he prepares a pathway to jump ship by creating a paper trail of words that he can take out of context in campaign commercials and debate – Having it both ways. Any change of heart will be based on a political calculus and brazen insincerity.

He’s counting on us being as gullible as ever. No, there will be no death bed conversions for John McHugh. Let’s be plain, he’s willing to trade blood for money. We should be as indignant at accepting any change in his war support as we are with Robert McNamara’s apology to the nation about Vietnam in his memoir In Retrospect. McNamara knew at the time he was wrong and Vietnam was not winnable. McHugh does too.

Recognize the above. Yes, it’s the entrance to the Supreme Court. We learn the pledge of allegiance in kindergarten and all have the words “liberty and justice for all” engraved in our minds.

We all know that there is very little justice in our country. Innocent people are sent to prison and even to death row and criminals guilty as hell go free. In less dramatic circumstances, all of us have felt the sting of incompetent and arrogant government that we pay for through the nose. We know the incredible corruption that is endemic in our government. We know that congressmen are paid off over and over again in the form of campaign contributions that buy both access and votes. Is it any wonder that the American public has little or no confidence in our government today.

Rarely, however, is it so blatant as today’s pardon – no pardon me, “commutation” – of Scooter Libby. The full pardon will come January 20, 2009, his last day in office. Scooter Libby was prosecuted by a Bush appointed US Attorney, convicted by a jury of his peers, sentenced by a conservative judge appointed by George Bush and whose appeal was denied by an appeals court the majority of which was appointed by Republican Presidents. He was sentenced under and within the guidelines that Congress passed. There was nothing “excessive” about his sentence. There has never been a pardon for someone convicted of obstruction of justice.

It is clear that there are two systems of justice. One for high ranking Republicans and one for the rest of us. It is notable that nearly every Republican vying for the Presidential nomination, including Rudy Giuliani, John McCain, Tancredo, Romney and Brownback supported a pardon for Libby. Only Jim Gilmore, former governor of Virginia outright disagreed. With this endemic contempt for the law, is there any doubt that the next President is going to be a Democrat.

George Bush has been the meanest – in both senses of the term: vindictive and sparse – President in history with regard to pardons. I will remind you that he was the one who refused to commute the sentence of Karla Faye Tucker who accepted full responsibility for her crime, was a model prisoner, a devout Christian woman and who was in fact loved by her jailers. Even in the face of a Papal appeal for her life, he refused to commute her sentence to life in prison without parole. And this man masquerades as a Christian.

There are thousands of others who are serving and have served time for obstruction of justice. Bill Clinton was impeached for obstruction of justice and lying to a grand jury. Make no mistake – obstruction of justice is a very serious crime. It means you lied under oath. So what of them? It’s a blatant mockery of justice. Is there any other reason that the administration refuses to answer questions regarding the political removal of US Attorneys except without transcripts and without swearing to tell the truth. Obviously, they intend to lie. Mr. Fitzgerald, Scooter Libby’s prosecutor, better look for a new job because no doubt he is now on Gonzales’s list for termination.

Contrast this with Nancy Pelosi’s response to the indictment of Congressman Jefferson of “cold” cash fame. While she can’t remove him from office, she removed him from all committees and made him a outsider. He has no influence or power.

I call on our Congressman, who has been George Bush’s enabler all these years to finally call him to task. This is an insult to everyone of us and a cynical undermining of the rule of law. The clear message is: There are are two systems of justice – the imperfect one for all of us and the perfectly favorable one of high ranking friends of George Bush and Dick Cheney.