Monday, December 19, 2005

Rep. McGovern on Fire!

Congressman Jim McGovern (D-Worcester) has been on a tear recently. On Friday, he went after the President and the GOP Congress for putting forth a second resolution rejecting a timetable for the Iraq war, calling it "inconsistent with achieving victory." McGovern pointed out just how ridiculous that was:

"What is victory? Nobody has defined what victory is," Rep. Jim McGovern, D-Mass., said.
And that's the question that no one seems to be asking, at least not the press. What exactly does it mean to be victorious? How will we know? When the last insurgent is dead? Or, is the administrating setting up a condition for victory that will require them to put permanent bases in Iraq?

Then today, Rep. McGovern gave a blistering indictment of the Republican Party on the floor of the House, captured by georgia10 of Daily Kos:
Mr. Speaker, with all due respect, I am tired of the speeches. I, like so many others, want genuine reform and change. I want accountability.

This all brings me to this Congress. There is a reason why this Congress has only a 25 percent approval rating. It is because you are doing a lousy job. You are trashing the rules and regular order. The selling of legislation to the highest bidder, the hard-ball tactics against your own Members to win votes, your lack of oversight and demand for accountability from this administration, all that and more is catching up to you. People are watching. People do care. They believe that you cannot competently run this government, and they want the government back.

The mess that we have before us cannot be blamed on Democrats. After all, as I have said, Republicans control everything. You cannot blame this on Bill Clinton, even though some of you try, because he has been gone now for a full 5 years. This is your fault. The battles going on behind closed doors are between your right wing and your far right wing. For those of us in the minority, and many on your side who want good government, this is a frustrating period.
Read the rest of the speech here.