Let's Talk Betrayal

When a General defends policies he developed, that he believes in, and that he is charged with implementing, that's not betrayal. It may be misguided and possibly even dishonest - but betrayal isn't the right accusation..

On the other hand, when a Democratic Senator uses her influence to steer contracts to her war profiteer husband, and repeatedly subverts opposition to policies she pledged to oppose, that's betrayal. Glenn Greenwald lays out the case against Diane Feinstein. First some politics:

Two months ago, Dianne Feinstein used her position on the Senate Intelligence Committee to enable passage of Bush's FISA amendments, granting the President vast new warrantless surveillance powers.

Last month, Feinstein used her position on the Senate Judiciary Committee to ensure confirmation of Bush's highly controversial judicial nominee Leslie Southwick, by being the only Committee Democrat to vote for the nomination (The Politico: "Sen. Dianne Feinstein had emerged as a linchpin in the controversial nomination").

This week, Feinstein used her position on the Senate Judiciary Committee to enable confirmation of Bush's Attorney General nominee by ensuring that the frightened Chuck Schumer didn't have to stand alone (Fox News: "Schumer's and Feinstein's support for Mukasey virtually guarantees that a majority of the committee will recommend his confirmation").

And now, Feinstein is using her position on the Senate Judiciary Committee and Senate Intelligence Committee -- simultaneously -- to single-handedly ensure fulfillment of Bush's telecom amnesty demands, as her hometown newspaper, The San Francisco Chronicle, reports

. . .

Feinstein is not merely voting reliably for the most extremist Bush policies, though she is doing that. Far more than that, she has become, time and again, the linchpin of Bush's ability to have his most radical policies approved by the Senate.

So how does a supposedly liberal Senator from a decidedly liberal State become the darling of the Neocon right? Is there a whiff of corruption here?

Dianne Feinstein may be betraying the overwhelming majority of her constituents. But as a result of her "heroic" work in the Senate, her husband sure is getting richer. And she is beloved -- just beloved -- by Arlen Specter, Trent Lott, Fred Hiatt and George W. Bush. And in Beltway World, that is far, far more important.

Greenwald has links and some details on the war profiteer charges.

It doesn't rhyme, but it's becoming clear that the real betrayal we see here comes from those of the Democratic establishment who were happy to collaborate in Bush's war, happier to regain power on the strength of the public's opposition to that war, and now seem happy to pretend to oppose Bush, his war, and his subversion of the constitution while continuing to enable that subversion. Schumer, Feinstein, and Rockefeller (to name three of the more egregious offenders) need to be removed from key committees and consigned to the DC sewers commission - they will know the territory.

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