General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Torture Whistleblower: I got 30 months in prison. Why does Leon Panetta get a pass? [View all]struggle4progress
(118,379 posts)or read and understand their own committee transcripts, or follow a story in the press intelligently, half as well as you think you yourself can
Now, if you merely want to take the view that an informed citizen can sometimes be better informed about events than a typical member of Congress, I will not dispute that view, as it seems to me sufficiently credible and adequately defensible from experience: on many issues, that I think ought to matter enough to the members of Congress, for them to inform themselves well, do not actually appear to matter much to many of them, so far as I can tell -- but that is a political matter
There is no shortage of intellect or energy on The Hill: there is simply the question of how that intellect and energy will be expended. When people actually decide to pay attention (usually briefly), they often find themselves disappointed somehow about the choices made: if it matters enough, some try to exert pressure for specific changes, which can require learning more about the process and the players than most others would consider interesting
The reality is that at present most Senators, and their staffs, seem never to have developed much interest in last spring's Affair Clapper. Should you feel strongly otherwise, you are free to attempt to organize political pressure on Congress to demand Clapper's resignation, but IMO you are striking cold iron with little chance of reshaping it