Squares On Both Sides
All this talk of going nukular, especially Frist's predictable hypocrisy, has got me a little prickly. Most offensive is this bit:
ARE YOU EFFIN' KIDDING ME? When someone - especially a politician - starts talking about "principle" they're more likely attempting to attach some moral weight to their selfish desires. Very few people have enough real moral conviction to simply say "I deserve what I want because I want it and that is why you should give it to me." This is unfortunate; it leads to time wasting, money spending, and even war that could all be avoided if the people involved were willing to admit what greedy little babies they are. If we stopped pretending that, at least in the political class, such a thing as "principle" exists, the whole foundation of our politics would change: No more pointless pundit pontifications, no more chat shows, no more partisan bickering. Debates would be shorter because it's impossible to have a rational debate about desire, and all these useless "showdowns" would never take place; the public wouldn't stand for it. They'd constantly be asking "ARE YOU EFFIN' KIDDING ME?", something we all ought to be doing, all the time, already.
In the case at hand there is no principle, Constitutional or otherwise, at stake. I'd have more respect for Frist if he'd just say "I rise because I really hate having to deal with all this parlimentary style crap. I just want my word to be the law. So shut up, jerks, and do what I say!"
Update: From comments by our our penguin friend.
"I do not rise for party. I rise for principle," Frist said moments after calling up Owen's nomination to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit.
ARE YOU EFFIN' KIDDING ME? When someone - especially a politician - starts talking about "principle" they're more likely attempting to attach some moral weight to their selfish desires. Very few people have enough real moral conviction to simply say "I deserve what I want because I want it and that is why you should give it to me." This is unfortunate; it leads to time wasting, money spending, and even war that could all be avoided if the people involved were willing to admit what greedy little babies they are. If we stopped pretending that, at least in the political class, such a thing as "principle" exists, the whole foundation of our politics would change: No more pointless pundit pontifications, no more chat shows, no more partisan bickering. Debates would be shorter because it's impossible to have a rational debate about desire, and all these useless "showdowns" would never take place; the public wouldn't stand for it. They'd constantly be asking "ARE YOU EFFIN' KIDDING ME?", something we all ought to be doing, all the time, already.
In the case at hand there is no principle, Constitutional or otherwise, at stake. I'd have more respect for Frist if he'd just say "I rise because I really hate having to deal with all this parlimentary style crap. I just want my word to be the law. So shut up, jerks, and do what I say!"
Update: From comments by our our penguin friend.
A principled politician is one who stays bought after you bribe him.
posted by jayinbmore at 8:45 AM
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