Who's in charge here?

[jgaffney]

Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid have already answered that question. The Politico has this:

In a recent conversation with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Rahm Emanuel offered some advice on a Democratic House leadership race. Pelosi’s response, according to several Democratic sources: It is “an internal House Democratic Caucus matter, and we’ll handle it.”

Democratic insiders say there’s no animosity between Pelosi and Emanuel, who’s leaving his post as chairman of the House Democratic Caucus to become the next White House chief of staff.

But the speaker is laying down the law nonetheless.

In talks with Emanuel and others, sources say, Pelosi has “set parameters” for what she wants from Barack Obama and his White House staff — no surprises, and no backdoor efforts to go around her and other Democratic leaders by cutting deals with moderate New Democrats or conservative Blue Dogs.

Specifically, Pelosi has told Emanuel that she wants to know when representatives of the incoming administration have any contact with her rank-and-file Democrats — and why, sources say.

During the Bush years, the White House set policy, and Republicans on Capitol Hill were expected to follow it. Former Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.) occasionally lashed out at former White House chief of staff Andy Card or other senior administration aides when he felt they had gone too far. But in general, Republican lawmakers followed Bush’s lead on every major legislative battle, from Iraq to tax and spending bills to anti-terror policies. With the exception of immigration reform, the House fight over the $700 billion Wall Street bailout package and last week’s meltdown over a bailout for the Big Three automakers, Bush got what he wanted from Congress, especially within his own party.

Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) are signaling that they won’t tolerate a repeat with a Democrat in the White House and Democratic majorities in the House and the Senate.

I'm sure that Madam Speaker won't let that pesky Article II of the Constitution get in her way!

We're in big trouble.

[The Big Dog]

Madame Speaker and her wind up toy Leader Reid have an agenda, and they've made it plain for everyone to see. They run the country, not the executive branch, and they'll knife anyone that gets in the way. We are seeing, over time, the morphing of our government to more of the Roman model of an imperial executive who only rules so long as the legislature wants him to. The incessant interlopings of foreign policy, intelligence and national defense by the Congress that have been building over the past few decades are coming full circle.

Can it only be a matter of time before some future president gets knifed by a member of Congress while walking down the aisle to deliver the State of the Union? That is the end game of the course that Pelosi and Reid have charted.

Rahm "F**k the Republicans" Emanuel has likely jumped out of a frying pan and right into a roaring fire. He is going to be chief of staff to a cuckolded president, constantly fighting rear guard actions to try and keep things moving forward in any semblance of a responsible way. One has to wonder if Barack shouldn't mention in clear and forceful tones during his inaugural address, while looking Madame Speaker directly in the eye, the constitutional basis of the seperation of powers.

Were it not such a terrible thing to happen to our country, I'd be laughing my ass off.

[subdjoe]

Big Dog wrote: "One has to wonder if Barack shouldn't mention in clear and forceful tones during his inaugural address, while looking Madame Speaker directly in the eye, the constitutional basis of the seperation of powers."

Judging from his public utterances, The Obama doesn't seem to know or care about seperation of powers or the Constitution in general.

And, I think we need to rename Mr. Emanuel - his name should really be Rahm "Eff the Republic" Emanuel. Of course, the same epithets could be used for Nancy and Harry.