GOP: a bunch of petulant babies

This week has been remarkable for many things in American political history, but one of the most remarkable, yet not altogether unsurprising, has been the level of petulance displayed by Republicans as they watch the grown-ups take over in Washington.

Seriously ... it would be funny, even cute, if it weren't so disgusting. These widdle babies crying and stamping their tiny widdle feet just can't handle the fact that Americans finally have seen through their deceit and put responsibility back into government.

The latest temper tantrum has come from Sen. John Cornyn (R-Tex.), who evidently has set aside his box turtle obsession in order to obstruct government and be a WATB. First, he spitefully put a hold on Hillary Clinton's nomination as secretary of state, and now he's doing the same to Eric Holder as attorney general (thus giving the newly-unemployed Bush crime syndicate more time to shred documents).

Fearing that the Justice Department may be working to launch a criminal probe into the Bush administration’s interrogation practices, Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee have delayed a vote to confirm Holder Attorney General because of statements he made during his confirmation hearing last week that waterboarding was torture.

Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, said he wants to ask Holder whether he intends to investigate the Bush administration and intelligence officials for torture.

Cornyn said Holder’s view that waterboarding is illegal under anti-torture laws means there is a possibility investigations may be on the horizon.

"Part of my concern, frankly, relates to some of his statements at the hearing in regard to torture and what his intentions are with regard to intelligence personnel who were operating in good faith based upon their understanding of what the law was," Cornyn said Wednesday.

That view was shared by Mukasey, who, prior to his exit from the Justice Department, told the Wall Street Journal last week that he is worried that government lawyers and others who assisted the Bush administration in crafting interrogation policies are at risk of criminal prosecution now that Holder has defined waterboarding as torture.

Well, no, John, the problem is that their "understanding of the law" (and rest assured, they knew the law -- they just didn't care) was illegal. It's really not that hard to figure out, unless you have the mental acuity of, say, a box turtle.

Actually, Sen. Cornyn is just following in the footsteps of Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito, who threw his own symbolic tantrum by failing to show up at the inauguration because he had his widdle feelings hurt by then-senators Obama and Biden voting against his confirmation. Of course, Chief Justice Roberts, against whose nomination the two also voted, managed to find his way to the Capitol just fine. Alito had ducked out of a Court visit by Obama and Biden a few days earlier, so, basically, he's just being a dickhead. I guess I'm not shocked -- just dismayed.

Basically, we're seeing the Republicans' true colors shining through this week -- sure, it's all red, white, and blue when their guy is in charge. Once that changes, though, they turn nothing but yellow.

Speaking of denial ...

Catching up on some news I missed while on vacation ...

Truly, the members of the Bush crime syndicate live in a bubble.

And President Bush said today that [Alberto] Gonzales' testimony in the congressional investigation of the firings of U.S. attorneys had "increased my confidence" in the A.G.

"The attorney general went up and gave a very candid asessment and answered every question he could possibly answer -- in a way that increased my confidence in his ability to do the job," Bush said, in response to a question from reporters in the Oval Office this morning.

"The attorney general has a right to recommend to me to replace U.S. attorneys… I have the right to replace them with somebody else," Bush said. "As the investigation went forward, it was clear that the attorney general broke no law."

"[T]his is an honest, honorable man, in whom I have confidence," the president said.

Clearly, the preznit saw some testimony other than what Gonzales actually gave. I mean, when you've lost Tom Coburn (R-You Kidding Me?) and John Cornyn (R-Box Turtle), it's time to cash in your chips:

Alberto Gonzales's tenure as attorney general was pronounced dead at 3:02 p.m. [Thursday] by Tom Coburn, M.D.

The good doctor, who also happens to be a Republican member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, made this clinical judgment after watching Gonzales suffer through four hours of painful testimony. The Oklahoman listed the cause of death as management failure and other complications of the Justice Department's firing of eight federal prosecutors.

"It was handled incompetently. The communication was atrocious," Coburn told the beleaguered attorney general. "You ought to suffer the consequences that these others have suffered, and I believe that the best way to put this behind us is your resignation."

[...]

"Mr. Attorney General, most of this is a stretch," said Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.).

"Why is your story changing?" demanded Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa).

"Significantly, if not totally, at variance with the facts," said Arlen Specter (Pa.), the committee's ranking Republican.

"Really deplorable," said John Cornyn (R-Tex.). After this blow, from an administration loyalist and an old Texas friend, Gonzales stuttered in his reply.

Oh, wait ... here's the part where Gonzales won his boss' undying loyalty and approval:

Explaining his role in the botched firing of federal prosecutors, Gonzales uttered the phrase "I don't recall" and its variants ("I have no recollection," "I have no memory") 64 times. Along the way, his answer became so routine that a Marine in the crowd put down his poster protesting the Iraq war and replaced it with a running "I don't recall" tally.

Take Gonzales's tally along with that of his former chief of staff, who uttered the phrase "I don't remember" 122 times before the same committee three weeks ago, and the Justice Department might want to consider handing out Ginkgo biloba in the employee cafeteria.

Memory is such a fleeting thing ... as is, we hope, the career of one Mr. Gonzales ...