Completely Unnecessary

Did that work? My puns are more and more belabored these days. You can blame The Wire (and Violeta, the addict who got me hooked), which has eaten the better part of my vaycay thus far.

Anyway, in the above metaphor (if we’re generous enough to call it that) oil companies and Republicans are doing the scratching and the Democrats, as always, are exposing their bellies, wagging faintly.

House Dems capitulated on the off-shore drilling ban yesterday - ending a 25-year moratorium on drilling in US coastal waters.

Faced with a promised veto from Bush on their 50-mile plan, Democrats said, “Oh well then, I guess we give up.”

How many seats in Congress must we win before we start using the power we have? Would a 430-5 majority do it? Or would the Dems still find themselves quivering in terror before the Republican “we’ll-say-something-mean/untrue-about-you” machine?

I get it - Republicans are better at spin, and would leave the Dems holding the bag for $4 gasoline in an election year.

But what is the point of power if you’re not going to use it?

I’m not talking about corruption; I’m talking about the people electing you to office for a reason. In 2006, American voters looked around and thought, ‘Well, that is some bullshit.” And then we turn around and give them the same old bullshit. Now with false promises of lowered gas prices!

Seriously, I’ve been watching way too much of The Wire. I’ve got harmonica riffs stuck in my head, and I’m feeling just overly sassy about damn near everything.

Vaguely Related

• Congressional Dems Say ‘Erhm’ on Health Care
• The Cheney Impeachment Response

…for not posting.

I mean, it does. I know that more than one of you check this blog regularly for new and (ahem) insightful content.

But I can’t control your poor life choices.

So I’ve been tempted this week to blog about the lovely and soul-inspiring weddings of biddies - because obviously that’s awesome.

I think if you can’t be happy for 80+-year-old women getting married you don’t really understand what life is about. There’s fundamental level at which you don’t understand happiness.

[Ed. note - Um, Firefox 3, vaguely appealing though it is, does not seem to have incorporated spellcheck in a timely manner. This is absolutely disastrous for your editor, who can't spell her way out of a very small shoebox.] [Oh thank crap, it kicked back in; I had spelled disastrous wrong. I'm more of a big picture kind of girl.]

Anyway, I’ve been sick and also working/marking/watching Angel, so it’s really a grab bag of reasons why I’ve lacked the wherewithal to fulfill the blogging duties that - I will remind you - come with little to no financial reward.

I had something to say. I think it was this:

I know the Administration only has a short number of months (yay!) left in office, but this doesn’t mean that they should drive down their game.

It will potentially frighten several of you to learn that my father is a Republican. Not of the truly alarming variety - he just believes in lower taxes, etc, etc. (whereas I believe in stealing from the rich, etc., etc.).

Anyway, he sends me an article last week in which George Will (displaying the youngest picture GenXers have ever seen of George Will) is all about drilling in ANWAR and everywhere offshore because the Chinese are already doing it.

Eh, they’re not.

But, if the story gets repeated enough times, it looks like good enough impetus for Bush to advocate drilling off all our coastlines a few days later. The NYT, however, is not so impressed with that, considering it won’t lower gas prices until 2030.

But hey - talking points trotted out in the press ten days before they become ‘policy’ is just typical. Could these guys try anymore? I mean, where are those bold policy suggestions of yore? Isn’t there a country we should think about invading?

Oh, or is it just that we’ve gotten lazy, considering the oil contracts with one that we’ve already invaded?

Personally, I’m happier thinking about old ladies getting married.

Congrats to them and everyone taking the plunge (especially to Elissa and Keith, who I love with all my heart… even though they’re not gay. It’s not, like, a definite criteria for my support of your union).

Vaguely Related

• Justice Kennedy Back In Fine Form
• Zimbabwe Election Redux