No words to describe...

If anyone else is overcome with nausea, tasting bile in the back of your throat, then you’re probably watching events unfold in Washington as I am. Do I even have to repeat my call to “vote them all out”?

I’ve tried to come up with words to describe what we’ve seen in the past week and I’m completely blank. I will welcome any suggestions. Our elected leaders make the keystone cops look like the Navy Seals. I’ve seen more seriousness and efficiency on Benny Hill reruns. This has eclipsed the point of outrage. This is downright embarrassing. The world is looking at us and saying: “these are the people you CHOSE to lead you?” America hasn’t been this humiliated since Clinton and Fellatiogate. The difference is the world isn’t laughing. Our sinking economy will drag everyone else down with it. Congress literally has the economic fate of the world in its hands and they’re performing with the efficiency of a drunken Chinese fire drill.

Let’s rehash this tragedy of errors. Yesterday, Barney Frank and Chris Dodd announce that an agreement has been met, yet somehow forgot that Congress is composed of two houses and that both are required to pass law. Minority leader Boehner quickly pointed out, “no we don’t”. Surprised by the reminder that a two-chambered Congress still exists, Frank concluded that all of this was John McCain’s fault.

He must have forgotten that two days ago Harry Reid stood before the cameras and stated that John McCain needed to step up and deliver the House GOP. So McCain suspends his campaign to return to Washington and help out, at which time Reid says they don’t need his help. This is the same man who one week ago was talking about adjourning for the fall election without solving this issue, telling voters “no one knows what to do”. He went from that position to crisis mode in a matter of days, calling for McCain to provide leadership only to again reverse his position and tell McCain to stay away. No, I’m not making any of this up.

It’s about this same time that Pelosi tells everyone that she won’t pass any legislation unless 100 House Republicans vote for it. I know, say it with me…What? For those who don’t speak politics, let me translate. This is what Pelosi said: “We have a solution to our financial crisis, the problem is that if it fails we don’t have anyone to blame. The Republicans need to vote with us to satisfy that requirement.” That’s about the time Reid added: “And John McCain needs to join them.” McCain’s role, according to the Democrats, is to accept full responsibility for any negative outcomes but stay away from Washington so you can’t take any credit for success. They have a very important national crisis to address and they want to be sure the politics of the matter is straightened out before any solution is reached. Our Founding Fathers are currently passing around the Excedrin somewhere in Heaven.

McCain gambles his entire presidential campaign to try to deliver the House GOP. Bush can’t do it. The House GOP can’t stand Bush. There is only one man who can bring them to the table, and that’s McCain. The safe thing would have been to stay away and focus on the campaign, maybe issue a joint statement with Obama about how important the matter is and that Congress needs to reach a bipartisan agreement. He could have even talked about how important the debate is. That would have been safe. But McCain did what he felt was right, even Bill Clinton agrees with that.

Just like McCain is the only one who can deliver the GOP, Obama is the only one who can deliver the Dems. He is the party leader. But he would rather hold a town-hall debate with himself in Mississippi than actually be actively involved in solving, according to him, the worst financial crisis in 70 years. The same man who refused to debate McCain nationwide this summer now says that having a debate is very important. The only way to get him to Washington at a time like this was for the President to drag him in kicking and screaming. No one else is saying it, so I will. Obama is running. He doesn’t want anything to do with this because it’s too risky. He tries to fake it by telling us that he’s spoken with Paulson almost every day. Oh gee, thanks Senator for your dedicated service to your country. Thanks for doing all you can to make sure my 401K doesn’t hit zero balance. In his own words we are facing the worst crisis in 70 years and he tackles it by making a few phone calls? How reassuring.

And speaking of negligent leadership, let’s look at Pelosi. This is the same woman who promised to “drain the swamp” in Washington, who took the gavel and vowed to end the war in Iraq. Yet when it came time to vote, her and her minions all lined up and voted to keep funding the war. Now, with the global financial market hanging by a thread she says nothing will be done without 100 Republican votes. Let me remind my readers that the Democrats control Congress. They have enough votes to pass this rescue package no matter how much the GOP objects, but they won’t do it because that would require a tiny morsel of courage. If the people of her district had any ability to conjure an original, analytical, objective thought she would be looking for a job this November. She defies the laws of physics with her ability to stand upright without a spine. She’s willing to allow our entire economy to tank because she doesn’t want to pass an unpopular bill without someone to share the blame. And this is leadership?

I have never witnessed anything like it, politics taking precedent over what’s right for the people. I have officially lost all faith in our system. I have no confidence whatsoever that our elected leaders have the ability to anything of substance. Shameful isn’t the word. This is truly indescribable. We hear the words “crisis” “critical moment” “financial collapse” and “economic emergency”. And yet, we have a House Speaker who refuses to drop the gavel on her majority power; a Senate majority leader who doesn’t know what to do, and can’t make up his mind how to do it; a Treasury Secretary literally on his knees, begging the Speaker to take action; a major presidential candidate in hiding, claiming that debate is the important thing to do; a President who lacks any credibility to twist arms; and an entire group of House Republicans who would rather see our economy crumble than violate the principle of conservative government, a principle they spent the past 8 years violating in ways that can’t be described.

The irony is that all this political bickering is based on pleasing the voters, and looking good to their constituents.