The rarest of all birds. . .

. . . at least in this era, is a Democrat who thinks through the implications of a course of action. Mark Penn, an old Bill Clinton hand, is one of those rare birds. And in a piece for The Hill, Penn lays it out concerning Rod Rosenstein:

Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein’s reaction to reports of possible impeachment for failing to respond to congressional subpoenas was to proclaim that the Justice Department “will not be extorted.”

I suppose he meant to say, “Only we here at the Justice Department do the extorting, with special counsels, daylight raids of people’s attorneys, bankrupting people with legal fees, threats to prosecute family members, and questionable wiretapping of Americans.”

All of these things have happened with Rosenstein overseeing the work of Robert Mueller, even though the oversight has been a wink and a nod. And Penn is just getting warmed up:

Last time I checked, the Constitution gave the elected representatives of the people the right to decide whether to impeach public officials for failure to comply with completely lawful subpoenas and appropriate oversight. They even provide Congress with immunity included in the Constitution to prevent threats from people like Rosenstein.

As the proposed questions for President Trump from special counsel Robert Mueller imply, just the act of the president raising issues or even having negative thoughts about the appropriateness of actions by Rosenstein, fired FBI director James Comey or Mueller can be investigated as possible obstruction of justice.

Thoughtcrime! Or if you prefer, shut up, Rosenstein explained. And Penn also reminds us of Rosenstein's perfidy at the outset of this drama:

This government within the government has now crossed a line that is unacceptable. By gaining the recusal of Attorney General Jeff Sessions, Rosenstein stepped into the shoes of the attorney general, even though he was not appointed to that role by the president.

Now he believes he is above the law despite the myriad of conflicts he has ignored to authorize these unlimited investigations of the administration he supposedly serves. Remember, Rod Rosenstein provided the memo supporting the firing of Comey and then turned around and installed Mueller, a friend of Comey’s, as special counsel, right after trying to get Mueller the position of head of the FBI.

And the proper course of action? Back to Penn:

Sessions should call Rosenstein in and demand that he comply fully with the subpoenas or fire him and replace him with someone who will fairly oversee the Russia investigation and who will comply with the lawful orders of Congress. Yes, all hell will break loose, but Rosenstein has now assumed unconstitutional powers, believing that he is accountable to no one but his own conception of the rule of law, and these comments reveal the truth that has been carefully hidden below the Harvard-educated patina of respectability.

And then there's this set of questions, which also deserve an answer:

And by the way, exactly who is paying for Michael Avenatti, attorney for Stormy Daniels, and the continued work of Fusion GPS? Might that be donor money not being reported?

The longer this farce goes on, the worse it stinks. Penn understands that. We all need to understand it.