Just issue the subpoenas already!

Via Salon's The Blog Report, I see that congressional Democrats have had just about enough of the Bush administration's delaying tactics (GRRR!):

Today, Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers and Subcommittee Chairwoman Linda Sánchez sent a letter to White House Counsel Fred Fielding, offering the White House one last chance at cooperation with the Committee’s ongoing investigation into the US Attorney firings and noted that the evidence to date indicated that the White House played a central role in the matter. Conyers and Sánchez warned that absent voluntary cooperation, the Committee would be left with no alternative but to resort to compulsory process to obtain the needed information...

I can't figure out what is taking them so long. If they ever thought that they would get Rove and Miers to testify under oath willingly, they were pretty much the only ones. They are dealing with people who do not recognize any limitations on their behavior. Not to put too fine a point on it, they are dealing with sociopaths. Rove and his crew consider themselves unaccountable to anyone but themselves.

Issue the subpoenas. They will ignore them, but then they will have officially demonstrated contempt of Congress. Perhaps the possibility of jail time will loosen their tongues. Perhaps not. But it is just embarrassing to see the Democrats in congress going through the motions of negotiating with people who would kill them if they thought they could get away with it.

When dealing with the Bush administration, the old rules don't apply. In fact, I have seen no evidence that any rules apply. Issue the subpoenas. Set the wheels in motion, and see where they take you.