I'm not even going to indulge in this little exercise, because the real answer is "nothing remotely like that will ever happen". To bother even thinking about "the minimum" or "the maximum" is a recipe for getting myself all angry and riled up.

Why speculate, nothing's gonna happen.

John Mccain Called his wife WHAT??

l agree with AG, "Start putting away people who are properly symbolic of this rot. Putting them away for a long, long time." l would, however, consider that to be the absolute minimum that needs to be done, that starts with prosecution to the fullest extent possible of the people who have ignored congressional subpoenas, notably miers, bolton, and rove for starters.

then you go to work on cheney and the ex-cabinet members such abu gonzales and rumsfeld, then the semi-secret wh "iraq study group" that originated and spun the propaganda for the debacle we're mird in, rumsfeld, for obvious reasons, addington......the list in interminable.

a little cooperation w/ the icc to put those responsible for war crimes and crimes against humanity in the dock in the hague would go one hell of a long way to restoring americas' standing in the world community as well.

that's not to say any of it will happen, but failure to restore the respect for the rule of law, and congress is, imo, absolutely required.

the revolution will not be televised...

"What's the minimum amount of backward-looking clean-up you think the Democrats can do without putting their legislative agenda and political momentum as risk?"

Ah, ahem, is fixing New Orleans considered "backward leaning"?

Three dam years New Orleans has sat in ruins while the country ignores the city. The birthplace of jazz, America's only native art form, has had its cultural heritage and legacy destroyed by a greedy and stupid president. Americans, and I mean here, too, turn their backs on the city, Louisiana and the Gulf Coast.

Dare democrats "risk their legislative agenda" by doing what they should have done THREE YEARS AGO!!

Obama- your task is to fix New Orleans and the sooner the better.

At this point I don't think there's much they can do, because for months Obama and Democratic leaders haven't articulated why it's necessary to do cleanup, and have emphasized 'looking forward.' At this point, cleanup won't just be considered looking backward, it will be considered a reversal/a lie.

There's too much to even think about - sadly. So, I say, pick one thing and go to the mat. For me, this would be the Department of the Interior. It's small enough not to become a bog (unlike THE JUSTICE DEPARTMENT), but large enough to make a difference and be noticed.

What's the minimum amount of backward-looking clean-up you think the Democrats can do without putting their legislative agenda and political momentum as risk?

South Africa had a Truth & Reconciliation Commission, which put criminals in jail, and carried out a complete revolution in their society, and restructured their government. But I guess we are not in their class.

When the collective, debases themselves to see how little/how much they can do before the apple cart is upset, they cease to believe in the rule of law & therefore become co-criminals.
It`s better to stand alone in upholding the law & fail, than to kneel & hope.
Otherwise open the jailhouse doors for all.
If criminals can remain free, then free the criminals.
Absurd isn`t it.
The "tough on crime" bunch who have locked up so many for so little, should be deal with in like manner.
1,000,000,000 dead in Iraq, almost 5000 Americans dead, maybe 35,000 physically wounded with 100`s of thousands more, mentally crippled somewhat, & the worry is if the agenda or political momentum will suffer.
HAHHHAHAhahahhhaaaaaha.

The difference between theists and atheists is that the atheists don't set the theists on fire for refusing to agree with them.

Because the minimum amount is nothing. At least it is nothing as long as they can successfully maintain their award-winning advertising campaign.

Why...they even beat out Apple Corp!!!

Ad Age's CMO Choice Award Winner

Obama Wins! ... Ad Age's Marketer of the Year

At ANA Gathering, Marketing Pros and Agency Bigs Tap Barack Over Apple, Zappos

ORLANDO, Fla. (AdAge.com) -- Just weeks before he demonstrates whether his campaign's blend of grass-roots appeal and big media-budget know-how has converted the American electorate, Sen. Barack Obama has shown he's already won over the nation's brand builders. He's been named Advertising Age's marketer of the year for 2008.

You betcha!!!

There's some realism fer ya if I ever saw it.

Them ad boys know hype when they see it.

Now of course...there's hype for shit products and then there's hype for good products. If Obama produces a good product...for instance if he starts to truly clean up the toxic kleptocracy that has nearly run this country into the ground over the past 65 years or so...why his hype machine will protect him way deep into the process.

The maximum? Start putting away people who are properly symbolic of this rot. Putting them away for a long, long time.

My own favorite candidate?

Cheney, of course.

In a cell with a very active, bisexual Bubba.

Or lesser figures if the hype quotient appears to be too high. Which is of course much more likely.

Or...he can do the minimum.

Which is nothing.

His hype machine can certainly handle that load. It's done great so far, and he hasn't done shit yet except speak really good English.

We shall see.

Any way he approaches his coming task he's going to have one hell of a tightrope to walk.

Bet on that, for sure.

Best of luck to him.

He's gonna need it.

And so are we.

Later...

AG

Goodness had nothing to do with it, dearie.-Mae West

None at all. That would be "vengeful" and "partisan".

Apropos of nothing - I wanted to encourage people to read my review of Slumdog Millionaire over at Consortium News and then go see the film. This is my favorite so far for best picture of the year.

I also loved Australia, but in a very different way, and will write that up at some point in the near future.

"If you look for the social economic motive, you will not have to wait for history to tell you what was propaganda and what was truth." - George Seldes

Depends on the amount of legislation that is queued up when the new Congress arrives in January and how fast the Democrats can move that through for Obama's signature in the first week after the inauguration.

There is a lot of prep work that can be done in those committees not directly involved in major legislation--Judiciary and Government Operations for example on the part of staff (yeah, Lieberman is the donkey sitting on the tracks).  This work could be shifted to DoJ after the confirmation of the new AG and most importantly new US Attorneys.  A lot can occur without public notice while the major legislation moves through.

If there is the will.

50 states, 210 media market, 435 Congressional Districts, 3080 counties, 192,480 precincts

The fact is that criminal prosecutions are likely to fail in a spectacular way. It would only take one "true believer" in a criminal jury (someone who believes as perhaps 30 percent of the general public do, that anything done to keep the country safe is justifiable) to give the criminals the opportunity to say: "See, I'm innocent!" (which of course is not what "not proven guilty" in our justice system means.)

Very public inquiries by panels are likely to emphasize the erosion of the Constitution, but very unlikely to get real information with the umbrella of "executive privilege" hanging over any proceeding.

The only way (per Scalia, believe it or not) to avoid being blocked by executive privilege is an impeachment investigation. While such a procedure would be technically possible in January, it will never happen. Why? It's impossible to avoid the conclusion that the senior Democrats who "took it off the table" were afraid of the truth. They had to have sat through briefings in silence, had to have been complicent at least by failure to act on information they had...there is no other reason for their inaction now.

From Obama's standpoint, needing their support for his future success on his aggressive agenda, forcing the political destruction of some Democratic leaders isn't a wise move. So the mediochre middle ground, a show hearing, seems the only resolution that might be hoped for.

Michaela

It should be handled much like the Colonials handled the aftermath of the Cylon occupation of New Caprica - quietly and efficiently...

The Underground Railroad

Does anyone think that the quid pro quo would be stated so obviously? Like, "We'll give you your alternate energy program if you lay off investigating 9/11, Guantanimo and that anthrax thingie"?

I don't think so. I suspect the Repubs will try to stop everything, at least initially, and if that pushes the country further into depression or their allies in the corporatist world yank their chains then they'll get in line.

Investigating anything? Expect more Dems found in bed with dead women or live boys, or some kind of malfeasance that can be immediately equated to torturing and killing Iraqi taxicab drivers.

Believe me, if you think that the intelligence services would listen and document your minor offenses and not produce blackmail material for those with power you have sadly underestimated your real enemies.

Blackmail, bribery, murder. There's an old saying: "If you control the coroner you control the city." Just ask Dr. Michael Baden.

The least we can do is to bring to trial those who refused to answer congressional subpoenas, viz, Rove, Mies and Bolton,  Otherwise, we forfeit national honor and build future legislative programs upon a foundation of sand.

As so often happens, the right thing is also the best thing.  So it is here.  But, I doubt very much if this morally bankrupt civilization can ever do the right thing---anymore.  Our ethical compass has been lost; we are in deep peril.

To survive cruelties, children had to conceal their own feelings from themselves. Alice Miller The Truth Will Set You Free, p.96

Can Obama repudiate Bush's signing statements and return the laws passed by Congress to what they were meant to be?  That would be one step forward.

One way or the other, this darkness has to give....