The Democratic Response (NSR)
Taken from another BB post - I'm forwarding this to many of my friends:
"For six and a half years the Democrats have given Bush a free pass, because he is seemingly likeable. This is no longer about whether he has a nice smile and can make up funny nicknames. This is about whether he is a competent manager and leader and whether the Republicans care about delivering basic services to the country in times of crisis. The record is clear that Bush is a dreadful manager, an uncaring leader and the Republicans do not give a rat's ass about providing services to ALL Americans.
Now is the time to filibuster both Roberts and the next nominee until they answer ALL questions put to them and ALL documents are released about them. The only reason the Democrats need to articulate: Katrina. We cannot trust Bush with anything. Nothing. We trusted him with national security and when a memo crosses his desk that says: Osama plans to attack within the United States, his administration did nothing. When he told us he would hunt Osama to the ends of the Earth, the lied and was already planning a war against Saddam. He said there was enough money for a tax cut and a balanced budget and a safe secure Social Securty system, but Bush's administration has ruined this country's finances. He speaks of morality, but cannot justify why Bill Gates needs an extra $100 million a year, when soldiers and their families have their benefits cut, "because there is not enough money." The list is endless and because it is endless and excrutiatingly nuanced and detailed, the American electorate is overwhelmed to make sense of it.
But now the Democrats simply have to point to the aftermath of Katrina and say: when the nation trusts Bush and Republicans to take care of us, this is the result. We cannot trust them for anything now. Nothing.
Impeach Bush. If not, then filibuster his nominees for the Supreme Court. Also, demand inquiries now. No free passes. Poor African American mothers displaced by Katrina do not have the resources or political savvy of the Mom's who forced the 9/11 hearings. Bush ran roughshod over them. The poor folk in N.O. and Mississippi stand no chance.
If the Democrats stand for anything they have to stand for these people in their time of most dire need. The Democrats must plant their feet in the ground, grow spines and unleash a hurricane of righteous indignation against Bush and his administration because of the Federal Government's failure to provide basic emergency and humanitarian services in response to Katrina. Bush gets no cooperation from the Democrats until a full inquiry is made.
The only thing they have to say on all those bullshit television news shows is simply: Bush cannot be trusted to protect all Americans. His nominees cannot be trusted to protect all Americans. His policies cannot be trusted to make the lives of all Americans better.
The only question is whether the Democrats have any fight in them."
