Gobsmacking Idiocy Knows No Partisan Bounds

My homeward commute this evening featured a rare radio “treat”: partisan idiots on both sides of the political fence acting as ill-informed idiots.
First up was NPR, which is hosting its semi-annual Beg-A-Thon. When I tuned in, an earnest producer was imploring listeners to call in and give money to a worthy cause, such as supporting the continued ability of WHYY to carry an expensive program such as “All Things Considered.” Earnest Youn Producer, in an attempt to give voice to reasons to support such shows as ATC said, and I’m paraphrasing here: “One of the reasons that I like shows like ‘All Things Considered’ on days like today is because the Bush Administration released its budget for the coming year. I’m glad I have ATC to tell me what the important parts of the budget are.” Translation: “I can’t be bothered to do my own reading and research; I’d much rather have someone else do the thinking for me.” And this from a producer at NPR.
Second was a caller on Sean Hannity’s show. I got fed up with the begging and flipped over to the AM dial in time to hear a caller ask why (and again, I’m paraphrasing) “if George Bush is all for cutting red tape in defending the nation with the NSA wiretaps, why didn’t he just cut red tape in response to Hurricane Katrina and take control of the National Guard?” Alright, Sparky, let’s take this slowly: it’s called the Posse Comitatus Act. It means the Federal gov’t can’t just barge around inside of the U.S. willy nilly, doing as it likes. To “cut red tape” and barge into a state without the consent of the governor of said state would be a breech of Federal law. That’s why the Chief Executive couldn’t just “cut red tape”. It would have been illegal.
Finding no enlightenment in the Amplitude Modulated band, I flipped back to NPR in time to hear Senator Leahy (D, VT) at the NSA wiretapping hearings say (with what I’m assuming was) a straight face (and once again, a paraphrase): “We are the duly elected representatives of the people of the United States and it is our duty to determine whether any laws were broken here.” Okay, Senator, basic Civics 101 lesson: Congress writes laws, it doesn’t interpret them, nor does it enforce them, nor does it determine whether any laws have been broken. For those playing along with the home game, the correct answers for those three functions is: Judicial, Executive and Judicial again. Your powers derive from Congress’ duties in 1) writing laws, 2) controlling the purse strings and 3) impeachment for serious offenses. If you don’t like the way a program is being run, de-fund it. If you so despise the NSA wiretapping program, quit giving the NSA money. They’re sure to get the picture down in Ft. Meade – I hear they’re an intelligent lot, unlike our elected officials. Of course, you’re not really after seeing whether any laws were broken, unless of course that opens up an opportunity for option #3, which seems to be precisely the tack you’re on: an impeachment fishing expedition.
I’ve got to get more CDs to listen to in the car – these numbskulls are driving me crazy…