Our Salvation Will Not Be Found...

My father and I have an on-going schick where he points to some stupid gutless thing the Democrats have done and he says, "Our salvation will not be found in the Democratic Party". He makes fun of the faith I have in the Democratic Party.

I like being a Democrat. I like having a "team". I do think that working within the party and pulling it to the left, getting them to be proud of their progressive selves is the best way to save the country. I love the game of politics, but I truly believe in the issues that I and others are fighting for.

That being said these last couple of days have been very difficult. I am coming closer and closer to my dad's point of view. Today Digby sums up how I am feeling better than I could:

I am not by philosophy or temperament a "bring down the state" kind of person and that tends to make me look for reason in unreasonable actions and try to affect change through the political channels that currently exist. Persuasion, education, discussion, blah, blah, blah. And I'm not a naif. I know craven politicians are craven and suspect them of selling out to any number of interests for any number of reasons. So, I'll tend to try to find ways to change their political calculations under the assumption that they have no real substance to begin with.

In this case,however, I don't think any of that is true. When it comes to the encroaching police state, the politicians of both parties have shown their true colors and their shirts are a disturbing shade of coffee...

The Democrats need to start fighting for this country. Fighting for our Constitution.

...If the Dems had wanted to stop Reid and Pelosi from putting this atrocity up for a vote they could have. They didn't. (emphasis mine}

And not only did they approve it, they refused to pass the bill that everyone agrees was sufficient to update the FISA rules alone and granted the administration its latest power grab instead. What could have been a real debate about who, in fact, is keeping the country safe and free, they turned into a political failure that makes them appear even weaker than before. And in the process of doing this, they were willing to give Alberto Gonzales the power to eavesdrop on his political opponents -- themselves. (Considering what we know about what he and others have done at the DOJ, it's absurd to assume he won't, isn't it?)

As always, when it comes to "Big Brother" issues read Glenn Greenwald.