Time for some Accountability

Two GOP Congressmen – Don Young (R-AK) and John Mica (R-FL) – are boasting to their constituents about the great projects the Stimulus bill brought to their areas. Neither one voted for it just like the rest of the GOP House, but now they are taking credit for atttaining the projects. From McClatchy:

Rep. John Mica was gushing after the House of Representatives voted Friday to pass the big stimulus plan.

“I applaud President Obama’s recognition that high-speed rail should be part of America’s future,” the Florida Republican beamed in a press release.

and

Young boasted that he “won a victory for the Alaska Native contracting program and other Alaska small business owners last night in H.R. 1, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.”

One provision would have made it harder for minority businesses to win contracts, and Young explained that he “worked with members on the other side of the aisle to make the case for these programs, and was able to get the provision pulled from the bill.”

Worked with the other side of the aisle to make this happen? Puleez.

These outright lies by elected officials need to stop now. For years, the Republicans can break the law, stonewall subpoenas, misrepresent facts and nothing happens to them. Obama is afraid to take them on citing he “would rather move forward than look backward”. That is totally unacceptable.
The higher the office, the greater the betrayal. If powerful people know they can get away with lying, cheating, stealing and even murder, then they will continue to do so. This sends a terrible message to the rest of society that rules don’t apply to the rich.

Fortunately, the Dems are prepared to take on Obama on this. From Bloomberg:

House Judiciary Committee Democrats have a long bill of particulars. They want to force Bush-era officials to testify about the firing of nine U.S. attorneys and alleged politicization of law enforcement. They want to press inquiries into Bush’s program of warrantless wiretaps and into allegations that suspected terrorists were tortured in U.S. custody or turned over to other countries for such mistreatment.

Senator Patrick Leahy, the Vermont Democrat who leads the Judiciary Committee, has called for a “truth and reconciliation commission” to investigate such Bush administration tactics.

“I’m more interested in looking forward than I am in looking backwards,” the president said, in telling reporters Feb. 9 that he would examine Leahy’s proposal. “My general orientation is to say, ‘Let’s get it right moving forward.’”

Obama cannot take a neutral stand in the face of abuse. If he does, it sends the message he condones corruption and dishonesty. Ultimately, this will undermine Obama’s credibility.

From Bloomberg News: