We will watch the John Rogers story closely. But here is some ugly irony to ponder now. Karl Rove probably should be headed to federal prison for his role in Bush-era crimes. But Barack Obama' determination to "look forward, not backward" has let Rove off the hook and left him in power as a prime GOP strategist--one who already is plotting to help Republicans take back Congress in the not-too-distant future.
And what will happen if Republicans do take back Congress while Obama is in the White House? Our guess is that they promptly will launch the kind of investigations that hamstrung our last Democratic president, Bill Clinton. And we won't be surprised to see a number of Obama staff members wind up in federal prison--while Karl Rove goes merrily on his evil way, perhaps promoting another book about "courage" while he's at it.
The John Rogers case could be seen as the "canary in a coal mine" for Democrats. It probably indicates that Republicans know Obama and Attorney General Eric Holder are weak--and the GOP intends to take advantage of it.
Will Democrats ever learn? Apparently not. Consider this hopelessly naive statement from John Rogers, as reported by The Birmingham News:
Rep. Rogers, have you not been paying attention for the past eight years? Paul Minor and his codefendants in Mississippi did "nothing wrong" in Mississippi--and they are in federal prison at this moment. Don Siegelman and Richard Scrushy didn't do "anything illegal"--but Scrushy is in federal prison, and Siegelman might be headed back there.
John Rogers reminds me of the man in the classic poem First They Came--the man who sat silently by while "they came" for others. And when they finally came for him, there was no one left to speak up.
My guess is that John Rogers' legislative career is over, and if he doesn't resign his position, he probably is headed for prison--whether he's done anything illegal or not. I further guess that the Barack Obama administration will not do a damn thing about it. (Which raises these questions: Has there ever been a more ineffectual attorney general than Eric Holder in the history of the United States? Does the man even exist? It's as if the person we see on TV from time to time is an apparition--or a mannequin--someone incapable of taking substantive action.)
And finally, I guess that the majority of Democrats will not wake up and realize what has happened--until it's too late, and the GOP is back in charge, running our country into the ground once again.
And what will happen if Republicans do take back Congress while Obama is in the White House? Our guess is that they promptly will launch the kind of investigations that hamstrung our last Democratic president, Bill Clinton. And we won't be surprised to see a number of Obama staff members wind up in federal prison--while Karl Rove goes merrily on his evil way, perhaps promoting another book about "courage" while he's at it.
The John Rogers case could be seen as the "canary in a coal mine" for Democrats. It probably indicates that Republicans know Obama and Attorney General Eric Holder are weak--and the GOP intends to take advantage of it.
Will Democrats ever learn? Apparently not. Consider this hopelessly naive statement from John Rogers, as reported by The Birmingham News:
"I ain't done nothing wrong," Rogers said. "They can have all the records I have or UAB have and they won't find anything illegal."
Rep. Rogers, have you not been paying attention for the past eight years? Paul Minor and his codefendants in Mississippi did "nothing wrong" in Mississippi--and they are in federal prison at this moment. Don Siegelman and Richard Scrushy didn't do "anything illegal"--but Scrushy is in federal prison, and Siegelman might be headed back there.
John Rogers reminds me of the man in the classic poem First They Came--the man who sat silently by while "they came" for others. And when they finally came for him, there was no one left to speak up.
My guess is that John Rogers' legislative career is over, and if he doesn't resign his position, he probably is headed for prison--whether he's done anything illegal or not. I further guess that the Barack Obama administration will not do a damn thing about it. (Which raises these questions: Has there ever been a more ineffectual attorney general than Eric Holder in the history of the United States? Does the man even exist? It's as if the person we see on TV from time to time is an apparition--or a mannequin--someone incapable of taking substantive action.)
And finally, I guess that the majority of Democrats will not wake up and realize what has happened--until it's too late, and the GOP is back in charge, running our country into the ground once again.
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