It's Groundhog Day in Washington

I realize I have been somewhat delinquent lately in my political posts. But that's because there's nothing of substance to say that hasn't already been said a million times before. Even in this teensy little Weblog, I have summoned the awareness to notice that Washington was spinning its wheels. And that was three months ago!


I know how you feel, Bill.

So here's the road map for what's left of Bush's term:

1) The Democrats play whack-a-mole with the White House on Iraq, making threat after threat and introducing bill after bill. Some of it may pass the House, only to die a slow, sloooooooow death in the Senate.

2) Congress tries in vain to press the rest of its varied agenda. The most recent example would be Al Gore testifying on global warming before Congress yesterday. He made some good points, but for some reason certain lawmakers -- led by Texas Rep. Joe Barton and Oklahoma Sen. James Inhofe -- are still questioning the science behind all of this, which means they are either grossly misinformed or intellectually dishonest. It's one or the other. You can argue the right approach or the ramifications of change, but you can't argue the science anymore. You just can't. As for the general prospects for this and all other legislation, see #1.

3) Scandal, scandal, and scandal. It's one after another. And this is where the real hamster wheel effect comes in. After Halliburton, it was Tom DeLay. Then it was Valerie Plame and Scooter Libby. Then it was Walter Reed Hospital. Now it's Alberto Gonzales and the federal judges. Lather, rinse, repeat. The Democrats seem to be in an especially muckraking mood lately, rather than focusing on their much-ballyhooed agenda. But on the other hand, they wouldn't have any muck to rake if the Republicans didn't set it up on a tee for them. Over. And Over. Again.

All of this, plus the usual dispatches from the Middle East about "tough talk" this and "U.N. sanctions" that, and for the last several months I feel like I'm constantly reading the same headlines. And there's no end in sight. Things might get more interesting when the budget talks begin in earnest this spring and real dollars come into play, but I really don't know. And I realize the policy process (by design, and rightly so) is very deliberate. But come on! I'm tired of this hamster wheel. Get me off! And I mean that in a non-sexual way! I suppose!

Hyperlinks:
- Debate Over Iraq Pullout Aside, Bush Needs a War Spending Bill [Washington Post]
- Gore Implores Congress to Save Planet [Washington Post]
- Some Heated Words for Mr. Global Warming [Washington Post]
- House Panel Authorizes Subpoenas Of Officials [Washington Post]

Technorati tags: Politics, Hamster Wheels, Bush, Global Warming