Squinty eyed and cranky

In case you're interested, here is the oath of office that members of both houses of Congress, the Senate and the House of Representatives, take when they become a member of Congress: 


"I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter: So help me God."

So where in that oath does it say that they can sign any other 'promise' or 'oath' such as 'no tax increases' and that any such promise or oath can supersede their oath to our country?  When did lobbyists dare to demand and get oaths from members of Congress, and talk radio hosts and TV networks start having more influence on our legislators than we, the American people?  More importantly, when will it stop?

Most of us figure that a last-minute, breathless announcement will be made that a financial crisis has been averted due to 'compromises' by both political parties.  Some legislators will even perceive and have the nerve to proclaim the results as some sort of victory.  Isn't that amazing?  That our national advocates, senators and representatives, have had months and years of opportunities, have had reasonable plans suggested such as the President's balanced approach, which some polls show sixty percent or more of Americans support, and yet by the sweat of their brows these national so-called advocates have managed to wring relative defeat from victory.   We could have had double or more reduction in our deficit by means of  reasonable amount of cuts such as means test for Social Security, and a rolling back of the Bush tax cuts, not even effective until 2013,  for the folks who hold most of the wealth of our country, but that's not what we'll get.  Instead we 'll get a small reduction of debt and a meaningless proposal for an amendment to the Constitution.  We get theater.  We get drama.  We get smoke and mirrors that camouflage that there's no contribution from the oil companies and the large (too large to fail) banking institutions and the millionaires and billionaires they have created.  We get no substance on debt reduction.  

So what I get is squinty-eyed and cranky.  And I reckon I'll still be that way in November of 2012.