WTF Is It Now?!?

Dueling editorials from the NY Times
You guys are giving me a headache.

The Imperial Presidency

Observing President Bush in action lately, we have to wonder if he actually watched the election returns in November, or if he was just rerunning the 2002 vote on his TiVo...

In 2006, the voters sent Mr. Bush a powerful message that it was time to rein in his imperial ambitions. But we have yet to see any sign that Mr. Bush understands that — or even realizes that the Democrats are now in control of the Congress. Indeed, he seems to have interpreted his party’s drubbing as a mandate to keep pursuing his fantasy of victory in Iraq and to press ahead undaunted with his assault on civil liberties and the judicial system.

We would lend such efforts our enthusiastic backing and hope Mr. Leahy, Mr. Durbin and other Democratic leaders are not swayed by the absurd notion circulating in Washington that the Democrats should now “look ahead” rather than use their new majority to right the dangerous wrongs of the last six years of Mr. Bush’s one-party rule.

This is a false choice. Dealing with these issues is not about the past. The administration’s assault on some of the nation’s founding principles continues unabated. If the Democrats were to shirk their responsibility to stop it, that would make them no better than the Republicans who formed and enabled these policies in the first place.

Well, yeah - but who's this asstard? --

Bipartisanship as the First Resort

In scoring early political notches, House Democrats had better keep in mind the promise of bipartisanship for securing larger victories.

For years, bipartisanship has been the missing ingredient in the sour stew of Washington... Chronically invoked by President Bush, this political ideal has been reduced to rhetorical ashes.

Of necessity, perhaps, the new Senate majority leader, Harry Reid, is making a considerable show of promising to reach across the aisle. In the House, Ms. Pelosi promises bipartisanship will be in evidence after the Democrats get past their opening agenda. That is like saying the checks and balances are in the mail. If Democratic candidates were smart enough during the campaign to realize that the voters demand bipartisanship, they should be quick enough to try it from the start.

Give me a fucking break. Fuck that.