KERRY FINDS REASONS TO CELEBRATE IN FAILURE TO BLOCK ALITO NOMINATION.

In a press release linked to his Senate homepage, "Standing Firm on Alito," John Kerry attempts to find a silver lining in his failed effort to organize a filibuster against Judge Alito's confirmation to the Supreme Court, boasting, "Twenty-five Democratic Senators joined our effort to filibuster the Alito nomination..." Call me crazy, but I don't see what there is to brag about. Last time I checked, it takes 41 votes, not 26, to hold a filibuster. But, wait, he explains the reason for his pride: more Democrats voted to filibuster Alito than voted for John Roberts confirmation. Is that supposed to make us feel better?. And what does Emily Post say on this, send a "Congratulations?" I'm just going to send a "get well" card. The man must be sick; another right-winger has been confirmed to the Supreme Court and John Kerry is talking about how well things are going. At this point I'm not sure who we have to worry about more - a Justice Alito who wants to give a President unchecked power, or a Senator Kerry who still wants to become President. I wonder what sort of positive feelings Kerry was able to glean from the Roberts vote.

Kerry, apparantly, is incapable of accepting that he has been a disaster for the Democratic Party and for this country. If he had any honor he'd apologize for his incompetence and step aside. The same goes for Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi. Not only did this whole crew fail miserably, but they were late. It wasn't until the final few days, when pressure from the left became too much, that this inept crew finally got off their scared asses and began to talk 'seriously' of a filibuster. But, it was already too late and the Alito confirmation was a done deal. He's thinking 'twenty-five Senators' while the rest of us are thinking '25 years with Alito.' The good news was that we didn't hear the fat DeLay sing, seeing that he was preoccupied with the vote by that jury of his peers that he'll soon be meeting down in Texas.

Kerry continues his bravado, saying,"we will never surrender." No, they will just continue to lay low and forfeit the game, hoping, praying that the Republicans will do themselves in by the self-inflicted wounds brought on by the Abramoff scandal. And if they ever do show up for a fight, they won't impress anyone, but will appear like a bunch of kids playing dress-up, armed with peashooters and pockets full of acorns for a game of war in the backyard while Bush and his proto-fascist criminal circle, smiling from the porch and sipping their gin and tonics, will talk about how cute they all look. Maybe, just maybe, the Democrats will suddenly see the light and find courage to lead the party, and the country, out of this desert to the Promised Land, but I doubt it. I'm calling my broker and investing in peashooters. The Republicans have plenty to worry about right now, but it certainly ain't the Democrats.

What we are faced with is knowing that Kerry & Co. are incapable of recognizing that they are as much the problem as the Republicans. There was virtually no opposition party in the lead up to war, and it is a few Republicans now who are causing real trouble for the President and Cheney in their questioning of the legality of NSA wiretaps, not the Democrats, who seem to be more comfortable playing the whiney victims. With respect to the failed attempt to filibuster Alito, there were no epipanies. What could have been an opportunity to shake things up and get on the right track has lead,instead, to just one more act in this opera of a self destuctive descent towards Rock Bottom. All we can hope for is that that comes soon. He and the rest of his timid and out-of-touch Democratic ineffectuals should just clear-out and let some people with conviction who know what they are doing take over and lead the party. Don't ask me who that might be, either, because I don't know. Russ Feingold? Al Franken?

It's a miracle that Bush isn't down for the count at this point - after all the lies and all the scandals and all the failures - and that will be the real legacy of this group of Democrats. Had John "Reporting for Duty" Kerry any history of standing up to Bush and his lying thugs; had he showed just one-tenth the amount of courage during the lead-up to the Iraq war and during the Presidential campaign that he bragged about with respect to his swift boat Vietnam War days, he probably would have had the clout to block this nomination. He might even be President today. To be honest, I'm kind of glad he isn't.



photo ©Edward Keating 2003 Charles and West Sts., NYC