Henry "So What" Waxman

Christopher Alleva:

Its always instructive to do a little research to discover how various politicians conducted themselves on comparable issues in years gone by. I thought it would be interesting to look at how the Bush Administration's current chief tormentor Congressman Henry Waxman (D. CA) handled himself as a minority member during one of the many scandals that plagued the Clinton Administration.

From his Chairman's throne on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Congress Waxman and his gang have been terrorizing the unsuspecting from one end of Pennsylvania Avenue to the other with something resembling Monty Python's Spanish Inquisition. Evidently, all you have to do is whisper Karl Rove's name, when suddenly out of nowhere, Waxman and his two main sidekicks Dennis Kucinich and (D. Ohio) and Steve Lynch (D. MA) burst through the cloakroom door declaring: "No one ever expects the Waxman Inquisition!" Waxman than shouts: "our chief weapon is surprise, surprise and fear, our two weapons are fear and surprise and ruthless efficiency, our three weapons are fear and surprise, ruthless efficiency and an almost fanatical to devotion to moveon.org. I mean our four weapons...oh never mind."

Well let's see how Waxman acted. Here is the transcript of a news conference he held on a scandal involving the Clinton's the wholesale firing of the White House Travel Office employees. From the Washington Post Jan 19, 1996:

Rep. Waxman: Well, the testimony we received today indicated that {in} the firing of the travel office employees there was no illegality, there was no wrongdoing, and Mr. Watkins told us that he wasn't directed by the first lady to fire them. I don't know what this hearing is all about. Even if she had directed him to fire them, so what?

Seems to me that the administration had the legal opportunity to replace people if they wanted to when they came into power just as the Republicans when they took over the House were able to replace people who were nonpartisan, who had worked in non-legislative responsibilities

Now let us imagine Arlen Spector pronouncing "so what" about the U.S. Attorney's firing flap. Or how about Tony Snow standing at the podium telling the gaggle "so what"

...

They just need to use the proper introductory phrase and say they are quoting "So What" Waxman. That should get the media and Waxman to sputtering. At least the Bush administration did not try to get bogus charges filed against the people it fired.