Why this election matters... in a big, big way

Oh, for the days when Paul Krugman's column was free to the public. Although the points he makes in today's column are pretty self-evident, he's just a really good writer. As a bonus, this American Prospect blog entry provides a link to a recent story of theirs on the Republican Congress'machine's complete unwillingness to enforce checks and balances-- or uphold the rule of law, for that matter.

There are two reasons why party control is everything in this election.

The first, lesser reason is the demonstrated ability of Republican Congressional leaders to keep their members in line, even those members who cultivate a reputation as moderates or mavericks. G.O.P. politicians sometimes make a show of independence, as Senator John McCain did in seeming to stand up to President Bush on torture. But in the end, they always give the White House what it wants: after getting a lot of good press for his principled stand, Mr. McCain signed on to a torture bill that in effect gave Mr. Bush a completely free hand.

And if the Republicans retain control of Congress, even if it’s by just one seat in each house, Mr. Bush will retain that free hand. If they lose control of either house, the G.O.P. juggernaut will come to a shuddering halt.

Yet that’s the less important reason this election is all about party control. The really important reason may be summed up in two words: subpoena power.