Congress recently passed the Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act (JASTA) over President Obama’s veto. Senator Chuck Schumer was the Senate co-sponsor of the bill; Jerry Nadler was the co-sponsor in the House. The bill would allow Americans hurt by the 9/11 attacks to sue Saudi Arabia for damages.
Within a few days, Congress came to its senses and realized that the bill sucked — it would undermine the “sovereign immunity” that protects all governments including ours from being sued for the stupid stuff they do.
But did Congress say, “Whoops, we screwed up big time” ?
No way, Jose! They blamed Obama for not stopping them. Ha ha! The White House over and over warned Congress of the pitfalls of the bill and offered to work with Congress to fix it. But Congress was having none of it. Even after the Obama veto, our congressional geniuses didn’t rethink JASTA. They overwhelmingly overrode the President’s veto: the Senate override was 97 in favor, Harry Reid against, Tim Kaine and Bernie Sanders not voting; the House voted 348-77 to override.
From Abrose Bierce’s Devil’s Dictionary:
OPPOSITION, n. In politics the party that prevents the Government from running amuck by hamstringing it.
The King of Ghargaroo, who had been abroad to study the science of government, appointed one hundred of his fattest subjects as members of a parliament to make laws for the collection of revenue. Forty of these he named the Party of Opposition and had his Prime Minister carefully instruct them in their duty of opposing every royal measure. Nevertheless, the first one that was submitted passed unanimously. Greatly displeased, the King vetoed it, informing the Opposition that if they did that again they would pay for their obstinacy with their heads. The entire forty promptly disemboweled themselves.
“What shall we do now?” the King asked. “Liberal institutions cannot be maintained without a party of Opposition.”
“Splendor of the universe,” replied the Prime Minister, “it is true these dogs of darkness have no longer their credentials, but all is not lost. Leave the matter to this worm of the dust.”
So the Minister had the bodies of his Majesty’s Opposition embalmed and stuffed with straw, put back into the seats of power and nailed there. Forty votes were recorded against every bill and the nation prospered. But one day a bill imposing a tax on warts was defeated–the members of the Government party had not been nailed to their seats! This so enraged the King that the Prime Minister was put to death, the parliament was dissolved with a battery of artillery, and government of the people, by the people, for the people perished from Ghargaroo.
The Bitemaster says it’s time that we embalm and stuff the Democrats in Congress.
Donna Brazile, a former CNN commentator and current interim Democratic National Committee chair, appears to have informed Hillary Clinton’s campaign about a question to expect at a primary debate that the network was hosting in Flint, Michigan, the following night.
