Sensenbrenner and GOP Judiciary members shut down Patriot Act hearings

Atrios and John are right... this is really pretty incredible.

In a nutshell: the Judiciary Committee has been holding hearings on the re-authorization of the Patriot Act which have - surprise! - been dominated thus far by supporters of the act. The Dems wanted to hear some other viewpoints, and finally got their opportunity. However, part-way through the proceedings, Chair Sensenbrenner decides he doesn't really care for what he is hearing, tongue-lashes those who are there to give testimony, declares it all irrelevant, and adjurns the meeting by personal fiat. The Dems and the witnesses stay for about ten minutes and continue their business (even though they got their mics turned off).

It really makes your head explode that this scene the wasn't on the war, this wasn't on oil or energy policy, this wasn't on social security (not that it would have been ok in any of those cases)... it was on the friggin' Patriot Act!

The Republicans are shitting all over liberty, all over the rules of governance, and all over the governed, and yet CNN is jerking itself off in jubliation over the fact that it has another Damsel in Distress story to chase!

I normally don't really care much for CSPAN, but I would encourage you to watch the videos in this case.

I did note that Sensenbrenner claimed that the testimony was not related to the provisions with sunset rules; I didn't hear all the testimony, nor do I know much about the sunsetting provisions, so I can't attest to the veracity of that argument. However, I kind doubt he would have sat through two hours of that without directing the committee and the witnesses to keep their comments germane to the issue in such a case. Instead, he simple shakes his jowls and erupts once he feels that he has had his fill and walks off.

Furthermore, the cynical side of me feels that it was all rather intentional anyways... a shot of kabuki theater designed to invigorate the mouth-breathing base of the Republican Party by kicking sand on the Dems and asking "What are you going to do about it?" Otherwise you could have easily let the Dems have their one hearing out of 11 and move on with the likelihood that one hearing wouldn't really make much of a dent. No, this is a DeLay-like drunk-on-power display, and in any place with a decent bit of reporting or media, it would not be tolerated.