The House Democratic leadership seems to have fallen down Lewis Carroll's rabbit hole.  How illogical can they get?  Are they daft? Has having been formerly the minority in Congress for more than a decade permanently locked them into a submissive state of mind? 

These apparently nominal leaders are so far behind their wise and ungullible Democratic base, it's pathetic. They are engaging in a tunnel visioned pursuit of a fictitious bipartisanship to the detriment of the will of the majority of the American people. 

Digby does a great job writing about this long ago bipartisanship killed by modern Republicans and their party in a 10/02 post called "Village Parties." Here's an excerpt:

We are in a different time, in which the parties have realigned along some old traditional lines. We are also dealing with the fact that one party was hijacked by a radical political movement that sought to take the country back to a 19th century economic system, an 18th century social system and a 1st century Imperial system. Many Americans disagree with that plan and are trying to bring the nation back to the present.

The political system in this country is roiling right now and it is not going to be nice and friendly for a while. We disagree on some fundamental issues and we're going to have to hash them out. I'm sorry that makes it hard for Village hostesses to put together a congenial dinner party, but they're just going to have to adjust.

Here are just two recent examples of House Democratic majority leadership that can only be kindly described as idiocy.

With "bipartisan" support the House passed a bill requiring the defense secretary to present to Congress within 60 days plans for withdrawing combat troops.  Here's the illogical ringer: the bill doesn't "specify a withdrawal timeline or require the administration to implement the plan."  What a joke!  But it's no laughing matter to our troops who may be in Iraq for decades.

No wonder House Republicans signed on to this phony bipartisanship measure.  They can go back to their districts crowing that they've done something about bringing the troops home when, in fact, they've done nothing except cover their and their president's hindquarters so his Iraq mess can be blamed on the Democrats and left for them to clean up just like Democrats had to clean up after Reagan and Bush 41.

Next on the idiocy hit parade, House Democratic leaders have postponed, seemingly indefinitely, doing anything about former White House counsel, Harriet Miers, and White House chief of staff, Josh Bolton being in contempt of Congress.  House Dem leaders apparently don't want to pursue the Republican scandal of blatant politically based firings of US attorneys most certainly by the White House using as their tools Gonzalez and other crony loyalists at Bush's politicized Justice Department.

For House Dem leaders to do nothing about Bush's officials in contempt of Congress is inexcusable and outrageous.  Chairman John Conyers correctly points out that this is a stain on Congress' oversight authority.  He said, "Are Congressional subpoenas to be honored or are they optional?.....If we do not enforce the subpoena, no one will ever have to come before the House Judiciary Committee again."

Unfortunately, typical Americans respect Congressional prerogatives but inside- the-beltway Bushite Republican officials do not and face absolutely no consequences for their contempt. 

When a baseball team consistently loses and stays in the cellar, managers and some coaches are the first to go.  Congressional Democratic majority leaders should take note