Goodbye Democracy

Digby makes a very good point. After watching the debacle that was the Alito hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee, it makes no sense whatsoever to hold hearings about the NSA surveillance issue before that Committee. Specter will say that the President is obviously sincere, as if that made him right. Joe Biden will mumble on about his childhood. Huckleberry Graham will tell stories of Mayberry RFD. And, nothing will be accomplished except that the President will have had the opportunity to present a host of legal opinions supporting his claim to be the Almighty.

As Digby says,

The stakes are very high. We could be setting a precedent for a unitary executive that completely abrogates the system of checks and balances. The committee will interview legal experts who are going to make arguments that the president has a right under the constitution to ignore the laws and I don't want Dianne Feinstein being the one to challenge them.

Unfortunately, there is a probability of zero that the Republicans will appoint a select committee to hear this. And, the only other place that hearings are likely to be held is the Senate Intelligence Committee, where they will be held in secret and with no effect.

Goodbye Democracy!