Anatomy of a Censure

If you’re like our neighbors, you may have been too busy yesterday frantically boiling water so that you didn’t have to brush your teeth with sewage to see Russ Feingold tell George Stephanopoulos that he was planning on introducing a resolution to censure President Bush over his illegal wiretapping scheme. It was a moment that had all the great Washington, DC touchstones you’ve become used to:

• The Patrick Fitzgerald Memorial Tortured Baseball Metaphor

In fact, this conduct is right in the strike zone. Even though the founding fathers, they didn’t have strike zones; they didn’t have baseball — but this is right in the strike zone of the concept of high crimes and misdemeanors.

• Member of the Pundit Class Acting Like a Yorkshire Terrier

Shorter George Stephanopoulos: “What about impeachment? Can we impeach him? Huh? Huh? Come on, Russ! Impeach! Impuh-puh-puh-PEACH! Yarf! Yarf!

• A savagely ironic missing of the point

Stephanopoulos: “But censure appears nowhere in the Constitution.”

Uhm, yeah. But “separation of powers” does.

[More after the jump]

• Counterpoint delivered by someone who seems to think they are an active member of the armed services.

“So the signal that it sends that there is in any way a lack of support for our commander in chief who is leading us with a bold vision in a way that we know is making our homeland safer is wrong.”

Shorter Frist: “Wheee! I’m a SOLDIER! Bang bang!”

• Bill Frist still can’t accurately diagnose using videotape: But censure appears nowhere in the Constitution. “George, what was interesting in listening to my good friend, Russ, is that he mentioned protecting the American people only one time.”

Actually, he mentioned it six times. Seven if you allow that preventing the President from assassinating Americans willy-nilly in some way “protects” them. Also, we’re not counting the numerous instances of Feingold defending “our system of government”, which, to anyone who has taken an elementary school civics class, means the same thing as protecting Americans.

• Our prediction?

Oh, Feingold’s colleagues will run away in terror from this resolution.

• And what will Russ get for his troubles?

From the AP: “A liberal Democrat and potential White House contender is proposing censuring President Bush…”

Congratulations, Russ! You’re a “liberal” at last!

READ MORE: bill frist, censure, george stephanopoulos, george w. bush, russ feingold