Not a spokesman. Not a statement. George Bush must explain leak to the American people
Apr 7, 01:40 PM | Harry Reid
Mr. President, yesterday the American people received the shocking news that the Vice President’s former Chief of Staff, Scooter Libby, may have acted on direct orders from President Bush when he leaked classified intelligence to reporters.
This is a serious allegation with national security consequences. It directly contradicts previous statements made by President Bush, it continues a pattern of misleading by this Bush White House, and it raises somber and troubling questions about the Bush administration’s candor with the Congress and the public.
Today, I’ve come to the Floor to demand answers on behalf of our troops, their families, and the American people.
For years, President Bush has denied knowing about conversations between his top aides and Washington reporters, conversations where his aides – like Scooter Libby – sought to justify the war in Iraq and discredit the White House’s critics by leaking national security secrets.
In fact, President Bush is on the record in September of 2003 as saying “I don’t know of anybody in my administration who leaked classified information. If somebody did leak classified information, I’d like to know it, and we’ll take the appropriate action.” But yesterday, we found there is much more to the story. According to court records, President Bush may have personally authorized the very leaks he denied knowing anything about.
In light of this disturbing news, we need to hear from President Bush which of these is true: his comments in 2003 or the statements made by the Vice President’s Chief of Staff. Only the President can put this matter to rest. He must tell the American people whether the Bush Oval Office is the place where the buck stops, or the leaks start.
This is a question he alone must answer. Not a spokesman. Not a statement. Only him
Comment
- How noble of Senator “Obstructionist” Reid D-NV to be concerned of “National Security” While allowing convicted Illegal Immigrants free reign to Stay in The United States after comming over the border….And being convicted of criminal Acts…..And proudly fly the Mexican Flag…Let’s get Harry to the SideLine With his Mentor Tom Daschle
— Brad Apr 7, 02:00 PM # - Ok, Reid is making this just too easy.
1) It has already been determined that Bush did not leak classified information.
2) The information that was given to reporters were declassified sections of the October, 2002 NIE.
How can a President, who is the final determination of what is classified and what is not, have leaked classified information, when all he has to do is get it declassified? Which was done in this case.
Brad (#1) notes that Reid wants illegal aliens who were convicted of prior felonies be given free reign, including the eventual right to vote (this was also noted in the previous thread). In a 1994 speech, and in legislation presented in 1998, Harry Reid was against illegal aliens. He is now the western version of the flip-flopping John Kerry.
Harry said:
“Today, I’ve come to the Floor to demand answers on behalf of our troops, their families, and the American people.”
Harry is lying. He speaks for those pathetic and partisan Democratic leftists in Congress and those leftist lobby groups who contribute to his campaign coffers. When Harry says the President leaked classified information, he knows there is no way a President can leak classified information, and is lying to the American people. I demand to know why he continues to do this.
— Steve Apr 7, 02:52 PM # - #2
Harry is lying.
— Steve Apr 7, 02:52 PM #
Harry “The Liar” Reid is trying to emulate the Clinton’s with his lying. Once again the Democrats end up with egg on their faces just in time to deprive the Spring Bunny of bringing eggs to the children. (The Democrats, and their moral compass, the ACLU, would come after me if I called it the Easter Bunny since the Democrats declared war Christians.)
— joro Apr 7, 03:48 PM # - Re immigration, an obvious attempt to change the subject:
Senator Reid has been working with a bipartisan group of Senators for a compromise that could be approved by the Senate and appeared in a joint press conference with, among others, Senator McCain and Senator Frist. Does Brad propose to retire those Senators, too? Working for a compromise is the opposite of being obstructionist.
The compromise is absolutely not a free reign. It imposes quite stiff penalties on illegals. Over 2,600 people have died trying to cross from Mexico to the U.S. in the past decade, ten times the number of people who died trying to cross the Berlin Wall during its entire 28-year existence. Does Brad propose building a Berlin Wall complete with machine gun towers?
Back to the subject at hand:
Steve assumes a determination has already been reached in an on-going investigation. The “on-going” nature of the investigation has been used by the White House as a reason for not commenting on the affair. President Bush meanwhile has been playing a charade about being determined to find out the source of the leaks, which he postures as being against. Illegal? Certainly not under the theory that the King can break no law because he makes the law.
From http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2006/04/07/EDGSTI48H71.DTL
“Perhaps that defense will hold up in a court of law, but Americans deserve better from a president who feigned indignation at the notion that someone in his administration might unveil the identity of war critic Joseph Wilson’s wife—a CIA agent—for political purposes. In June 2004, Bush had suggested he would fire anyone in his administration that leaked the identity of Wilson’s wife, Valerie Plame. A year later, Bush amended his vow slightly in declaring that anyone who committed a crime in the CIA leak case will “no longer work in my administration.”
Will President Bush have to fire himself? We need to find out the truth. The President needs to come clean.
— Leo Brown Apr 7, 04:01 PM # - From the New York Post….
April 7, 2006—AND INFO WAS ALREADY PUBLIC
IT’S amazing how the common topics and subjects of discussion three years ago should vanish so quickly from memory.
Yesterday, breathless news reports suggested that President Bush had directed the “leak” of classified information in July 2003. Yet the “leak” in question was from a document called the National Intelligence Estimate, or NIE – and by the time this “leak” occurred, the contents of the NIE as they related to Iraq were almost entirely public.
On Oct. 7, 2002, nine months before Bush’s supposed “leak,” the
— Kee Apr 7, 04:08 PM # - MAKING THE WORLD SAFE FOR HYPOCRISY
Why are we in Iraq? First we were told it was because Saddam had WMD and we could expect mushroom clouds over American cities if he were allowed to stay in power; then the goal was getting rid of a brutal dictator who gassed his own people and by the way has a “blood feud” with America; the latest rationale is that we are bringing democracy to a troubled part of the world.
The rad-con democracy domino theory is that Iraq will become a shining example of representative democracy in the middle east that all its neighbors will desire to follow. Despite a couple elections, this utopia seems further away than ever.
Meanwhile, back here in the USA, the Bush administration is quietly choking off funding to the primary organizations that are actually training Iraqis on how to set up and run democratic political parties, elections, and governments. Is this hypocrisy?
”’The commitment to what the president of the United States will say every single day of the week is his number one priority in Iraq, when it’s translated into action, looks very tiny,’ said Les Campbell, who runs programs in the Middle East for the National Democratic Institute for International Affairs, known as NDI.”(Washington Post) Apparently, there has been no response to these reports from the White House.
It appears that military and security spending is cutting back the only legitimate pro-democracy efforts America is conducting in Iraq. This is just the latest example of the Bush administration’s failure to put the money where its mouth is. If we really want to know what politicians value, we need to find out what programs they fund and which they cut.
QuestionItNow – Still InIraq
— REB 84 Apr 7, 04:26 PM # - Sen. Reid,
If you’re so interested in national security, when are you going to publicly call for an investigation of the treasonous, low-down, and cowardly traitor that leaked the NSA terrorist surveillance program to the New York Times? When are you going to publicly demand that the Times reporters that wrote the story say who their sources are? When are you going to demand the resignation of Jay Rockefeller for telling Bashar al-Assad (and others), in January of 2002, that Bush might invade Iraq, all the while serving on the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence?
You have a right, but have no business, chastising anyone about national security. And you have no business continuing to lie to the American people and saying you represent them, especially soldiers. You have no credibility.
— Steve Apr 7, 04:27 PM # - Does Kee really mean to say that the whole Plame affair was already public? Then why did President Bush feign indignation? Why was a special prosecutor appointed? Fitzgerald was not self-appointed, nor appointed by the ACLU or by the minority party in Congress or by the “liberals” or any other scapegoat group. The President could have saved his administration a lot of trouble by coming out with the truth rather than appointing someone to investigate it. Or maybe Libby is lying. We still need to know all the facts, and the sooner the better.
Does Joro intend to contribute anything besides name calling to the discussion? Is the the GOP idea of a marketplace of ideas?
— Leo Brown Apr 7, 04:32 PM # - Steve,
I think everyone would agree that the whole NSA affair needs a thorough investigation. I am sure the FBI is already hard at work on finding the leaker already, so why call for another investigation or demand that Senator Reid do so other than to change the subject? The Senate only needs to investigate things that are being covered up or otherwise not being handled by the appropriate agency.
As for Senator Rockefeller, I rather suspect that this was the message the whole government wanted to put out, namely that Saddam needed to come clean or he would be invaded.
All this appears to be just a smoke screen to cover the President’s lack of candor in the original subject of this thread. This is the right wing’s idea of a marketplace of ideas.
— Leo Brown Apr 7, 04:56 PM # - #4 #8 Leo
Fitzgerald was hired to find out who leaked the name of of Valerie Plame/Wilson. That person has not yet been identified. Libby has been indicted for obstruction of justice and perjury, not leaking any names. He is alleged to have lied about his role in the investigation, not any more than that.
Reid’s assertion that Bush leaked classified information is a “red herring”. As I stated earlier, the President has the final say on what is and what is not classified. There is practically no way a President can leak classified information because he alone has the authority to declassify information. The October, 2002 NIE sections that were declassified in July, 2003 are all that were released, not anything else. And certainly not the name of a CIA agent whose covert status is questionable at best.
— Steve Apr 7, 05:00 PM # - #9 Leo
You said:
“I think everyone would agree that the whole NSA affair needs a thorough investigation. I am sure the FBI is already hard at work on finding the leaker already, so why call for another investigation or demand that Senator Reid do so other than to change the subject?”
I agree with your first sentence. But I’m not changing the subject since Reid is saying his what he is about the Libby thing being a national security issue, when Reid doesn’t show any interest in real security leaks, like the NSA program. Reid still calls it domestic spying. And, Reid has yet to publicly chastise anti-American Feingold for lying in the censure resolution.
“As for Senator Rockefeller, I rather suspect that this was the message the whole government wanted to put out, namely that Saddam needed to come clean or he would be invaded.”
That is an interesting opinion, and one I would not reject out-of-hand. I remember hearing him say that the trip was authorized by the State Dept., but I haven’t seen any information that backs that up. However, I think that it would be a bad idea to tell one Baathist things like this regarding another Baathist. I think even the State Dept. would know not to do it.
— Steve Apr 7, 05:30 PM # - HooooRahhhh!!! The wheels are coming off, the horn is stuck and the gas tank is on empty for the Republican wagon of shame! Scooter Libby “trusted aide and confidant” is now a lying un-American dirtbag. What else would you expect from the Republican war machine? Unless you call black, white and night, day you are a traitor!
The real fun is betting on who’s gonna be next. The entire country is beginning to see the light and the KKK, Nazi party, FoxNews, goose step mentality that keeps wretched pukes like joro chock full of masturbatory fantasy for anything Bush-like, is being exposed for the disgusting filth that it is. Our founding fathers (Communists as described in the gospel according to joro) may once again be proud of the nation they established.
History will remember these times in the same light as slavery and the Salem witch trials. A time when over-zealous, arrogant, psuedo-religious freaks created an atmosphere of fear and tried in vain to smash all that real Americans hold sacred, all while pretending to do so for the public good. A time when instead of tackling real issues, we turned on our own. I envision a time, many years from now when, rather than face the shame of the “Evil times”, Republicans will seek to expunge the history books of all reference to GWB and his entourage of disgust. joro of course will have faded into obscurity, long ago having been forgotten by the few souls that visit this site, braving the loss of lunch that he can so easily envoke. Kee will… oh well what can really be said, Kee is like joro-light, possibly not as dimwitted and even though it wasn’t thought possible, even less entertaining.
— Pcruz Apr 7, 05:43 PM # - Steve,
I agree that the case against Libby is a limited one, but the investigation is on-going.
Your defense of the President is very legalistic. At the very least the President needs to come clean and say I can leak anything at any time because only I decide whatever can be classified and declassified. Instead, he has been playing a charade that amounts to misleading the public. This really reminds me of the previous President who parsed his words so carefully. (“I did not have sex with that woman. It depends on what the meaning of “is” is.”) President Clinton needed to come clean. President Bush needs to come clean. Of course, this is much worse because it goes to questions of war and peace, and in the case of outing a CIA agent, possibly questions of life and death. Support for the war in Iraq has been slipping as the public finds our more and more about the selling of the war before it was launched. I am old enough to remember what came to be called the credibility gap under President Johnson.
You are right that the person who identified Plame has not been identified. This is a key unresolved question. We need to know who that person is. It is commonly believed that that person worked in the White House, presumably in its inner circles. There is a now very real question of whether President Bush or Vice-President Cheney personally arranged directly or indirectly for the outing of a CIA agent for political reasons. This is an open question and needs to be investigated. This is not a red-herring. This is a serious question with serious national security implications as well as political implications. If the President is innocent, he needs to say so again in no uncertain terms and find out which of his associates did the deed. You might think he could have found out by now. “Karl, was it you? Scooter? Dick? Come on, guys, level with me.” He could have asked those questions. Did he? If not, why not? Of course, under the theory that the President can do anything he wants with classified intelligence, then the mystery becomes clear. Under this theory, the President declassifies Plame’s secret identity, tells the Vice President, who tells his aide to tell a reporter that information. Is that what happened? We need to know.
Now let’s look at the larger issue of good governance. Is it good for the country for one man to have the arbitrary power to classify and declassify for purely political purposes? I think not. Far from being a red herring, this goes to the heart of subverting a democracy. If the President can distort the flow of intelligence to the American people and to the Senate and House by arbitrarily keeping the citizenry and the Senate in the dark and feeding them only the intelligence he wants them to know when he wants them to know it, then we are back to the sort of royal government my ancestors decided was a bad idea in 1776.
Senator Reid is calling for the President to come clean and for this he is insulted. How can any American not want the President to us the truth, whole truth, and nothing but the truth about the Plame/Wilson/Libby affair?
— Leo Brown Apr 7, 06:02 PM # - Harry who is paying you off?
APRIL 17, 2006
This Train Is Really Defying Gravity
Washington Outlook
Edited by Mike McNamee
This Train Is Really Defying Gravity
If Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid has his way, someday a superfast hovering train will whisk tourists from family-friendly Disneyland to the what-happens-here-stays-here city, Las Vegas. But so far, the Nevada senator’s fascination with magnetic levitation—the futuristic technology that would power the train across the desert at 300 mph—has managed only to levitate a steady stream of money out of the federal budget: $54 million and counting.
Few others are climbing aboard. The Transportation Dept. rejects MagLev for its steep price tag, which a 2005 study says eclipses the cost of current high-speed rail by “fourfold to ninefold.” Even Nevada’s other senator, Republican John Ensign, questions the value of spending an estimated $12 billion or more on a 269-mile Anaheim-to-Vegas train line.
But Reid has pressed ahead, earmarking $9 million between 2000 and 2004 and winning a $45 million authorization in last year’s federal transportation bill. It’s just one small example of how congressional leaders can keep projects alive and how difficult it will be for reformers to stamp out earmarks—the hidden pots of cash that lawmakers tuck into spending bills for favorite projects or constituents.
MagLev, which uses the attraction and repulsion of powerful magnets to power a train hovering inches off the track, enjoyed a brief burst of federal support in the 1990s. Clintonites praised it as a new and efficient option for short-range travel. But since 2001 the Bush Administration has not sought funding for MagLev projects. “The Administration believes that the money could be better spent on other transportation needs,” says Steven Kulm, a Federal Railroad Administration spokesman.
But with Reid’s help, MagLev boosters have kept hope alive. So far, they’ve spent $7 million on preconstruction engineering studies, and they’re pushing for Congress to appropriate the $45 million it O.K.’d last year. The California-Nevada Super Speed Train Commission wants to leverage federal dollars with tax-exempt bonds and private equity. It has partnered with American Magline Group, many of whose corporate members—General Atomics, Hirschfeld Steel, and Parsons Transportation Group, among others—would help build the high-speed train.
Backers argue that the project is crucial for the future of transportation. “I don’t know if anyone accused President Eisenhower of pork when he created the interstate highway system,” says Neil Cummings, president of American Magline. Jim Manley, a spokesman for Reid, says a high-speed train would ease congestion at Las Vegas McCarran International Airport.”It’s a good project,” says Manley.
Nonsense, says Keith Ashdown, vice-president of Taxpayers for Common Sense, a group that tries to limit federal spending. MagLev is “a train to nowhere,” says Ashdown. “We’re wasting tens of millions of dollars on a project that nobody believes will be built except Harry Reid.”
But Reid’s faith in MagLev has been a plus for him: Companies and individuals tied to the project have given him $28,749 in campaign funds since 1999, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. And with Ensign facing his first reelection campaign, MagLev fans are opening their checkbooks for him, to the tune of $23,248. For now, MagLev keeps hovering along.
By Eamon Javers
http://www.businessweek.com/@@LmY22mcQhBtV0xYA/premium/content/06_16/c3980065.htm
— Show Reid the Money Apr 7, 06:12 PM # - Is it me or do the rad-con trolls who infest this blog suffer from attention deficit disorder and fixation on 2-6 issues?
Defend America
ask questions
QuestionItNow
— REB 84 Apr 7, 06:37 PM # - Today Scott McClellan said Reid was a liar. I wonder when reids constituents will figure it out.
— Kee Apr 7, 06:42 PM # - #13 Leo
I would agree with you if the release of the NIE was done to smear Valerie Plame and Joseph Wilson. Here’s why I don’t believe that was done.
Joe Wilson, who all through the 1990s and all of 2002 said that Saddam was lying to the US and the world about WMDs (I’ve googled for this and seen the transcripts). Then in July, 2003, he writes a scathing op-ed in the New York Times regarding Bush, much of which was dismissed as false during Senate Intelligence Committee hearings the following year. If I were the President, I would be wondering who this guy thinks he is, who sent him to Niger, and why would he say things attributed to the CIA when my October, 2002 NIE (which he gets from the CIA) has different information. Reporters are all over this story for the same reason. So Bush declassifies those parts of that NIE and let the press know that this is what the CIA said last October.
This is just my opinion. National Review writer Andrew McCarthy wrote a piece that justifies a similar action by Clinton in order to justify his missile strikes on Sudan. Clinton did this because he was being blasted for taking out only an aspirin factory, when in fact there was some form of VX nerve gas residue. The difference is that nobody tried to blast Clinton for releasing recently declassified (by him) information.
As far as Plame, there’s still all kinds of crap floating around about when people found out she was in the CIA. Some say it was Wilson, who may have bragged that he had a CIA wife. There’s also the Bob Woodward part of this, who said he was told by an administration official (not Libby, not Rove, not Bush, not Cheney), in an off-hand and casual manner, that Plame was the wife. So, who knows?
You said:
“Now let’s look at the larger issue of good governance. Is it good for the country for one man to have the arbitrary power to classify and declassify for purely political purposes? I think not. Far from being a red herring, this goes to the heart of subverting a democracy.”
I would argue that it may not be the best way to have one person with this kind of power, but that depends on the statutes and if they were constitutional. If the current law says that the NIE only needs to be distributed to the Executive branch, then it is up to Congress to pass a law that allows for certain members to be part of the NIE distribution, and part of the classification/declassification process. But, I believe that is overly cumbersome considering Congress’s time off is different than the President’s. He is on call constantly because all departments (especially Defense) report to him. Members of Congress have the option to choose how involved they want to get in their political business when Congress is recessed or not in session. That’s just the nature of the beast, and it is the best game in town.
— Steve Apr 7, 07:08 PM # - I love trains, and I love high technology. But the MagLev discussion is off topic, and I will leave it to another day.
Kee,
So is the party line, yes, President Bush did declassify material, but politics had nothing to do with it? President’s Bush’s (Scott’s credibility) just keeps falling. President Bush’s inner motives may be something we will never be able to figure out, so that is a somewhat speculative issue. However, no one can deny that in principle the doctrine of selective declassification by a President in the midst of a campaign is a doctrine fraught with the temptation to political abuse. That much is self-evident. Still, America deserves to know the whole truth about the Plame/Wilson/Libby affair and the whole truth about cherry picking the intelligence in the run up to the war. That is what every American deserves to know, and the sooner, the better.
— Leo Brown Apr 7, 07:08 PM # - #15
You’ve been stuck on one issue for the last five years, and that is that George W. Bush is your President. Get over it.
— Steve Apr 7, 07:11 PM # - If george leaked the fact that Plame was a covert CIA agent, his ass is in a sling.
The president declassifying information is one thing. Outing a covert agent is another and is covered by a totally different law.
That law is the Intelligence Identities Protection Act of 1982, and Title 18, United States Code, Section 793.
— Poor Daddy Apr 7, 07:35 PM # - Steve,
You have one way of looking at the Wilson/Plame/Libby affair. Another theory is that the President was “taking out” a critic by means of a selective leak, which mushroomed into a scandal as the full implications became known. This is compounded by the fact that the WMD rationale for the war has not held up well in light of what we know now. So we need a thorough investigation to find out the truth, which is not known at this date. I don’t believe the pages of the National Review will give me the whole truth, just parts of it and with some spin thrown in. That is why I read sources from both the left and the right. I hope the truth will come out sooner or later. I would like to see Congressional investigations, but with the GOP controlling both Houses of Congress, that won’t happen. I would like to see the President testify under oath, but I doubt that will happen. I would like to believe my President when he speaks, but after the WMD’s turned out to be such a mirage, I no longer trust President Bush. This is not just about President Bush. I used to be a Republican. I remember not only President Clinton’s failings, but Nixon’s and Johnson’s. Power tends to corrupt. The “taking out” of a critic by selective leaking is not a farfetched theory in light of presidential history.
As you might guess from my previous post, I am not a defender of President Clinton. What he did is a separate issue, and two wrongs on intelligence don’t make a right.
As to the current state of the law and “the nature of the beast,” what we have now is what we have. That is why I support a more vigilant press, calls by Senator Reid and many others for more investigations, and for a more forthcoming White House. That is why I hope at least one House of Congress will change hands in the 2006 election. Power tends to corrupt. We need checks and balances to preserve our country for future generations.
— Leo Brown Apr 7, 08:43 PM # - #13
You are right that the person who identified Plame has not been identified. This is a key unresolved question. We need to know who that person is.
— Leo Brown Apr 7, 06:02 PM #
I have it on fairly good authority that it was either John Kerry , Hillary Clinton or Harry Reid.
— joro Apr 7, 09:01 PM # - There is a now very real question of whether President Bush or Vice-President Cheney personally arranged directly or indirectly for the outing of a CIA agent for political reasons. This is an open question and needs to be investigated. This is not a red-herring. This is a serious question with serious national security implications
— Leo Brown Apr 7, 06:02 PM #
Leo, it has been almost 3 years. What were the
“serious national security implications” resulting from the release of this CIA clerks name? Any spy could have followed her convertible to her job at CIA headquarters in Virginia for years and guessed she was employed there.
— joro Apr 7, 09:07 PM # - #13
Senator Reid is calling for the President to come clean and for this he is insulted. How can any American not want the President to us the truth, whole truth, and nothing but the truth about the Plame/Wilson/Libby affair?
— Leo Brown Apr 7, 06:02 PM #
Leo, who hired Craig Livingstone? Who requisitioned the raw FBI data files on 90 Republicans? Should the entire Barrett Report be released now?
— joro Apr 7, 09:12 PM # - #21
I would like to believe my President when he speaks, but after the WMD’s turned out to be such a mirage, I no longer trust President Bush.
— Leo Brown Apr 7, 08:43 PM #
If you really believe that President BUSH lied – - THAT THERE NEVER WERE ANY WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION IN IRAQ AND HE TOOK US TO WAR SOLELY FOR HIS OIL BUDDIES—then read this…..
“One way or the other, we are determined to deny Iraq the capacity to develop weapons of mass destruction and the missiles to deliver them. That is our bottom line.”
– President Clinton, Feb. 4, 1998
“If Saddam rejects peace and we have to use force, our purpose is clear. We want to seriously diminish the threat posed by Iraq’s weapons of mass destruction program.”
– President Clinton, Feb. 17, 1998
“Iraq is a long way from [the USA], but what happens there matters a great deal here. For the risks that the leaders of a rogue state will use nuclear, chemical or biological weapons against us or our allies is the greatest security threat we face.”
– Madeline Albright, Feb 18, 1998
“He will use those weapons of mass destruction again, as he has ten times since 1983.”
– Sandy Berger, Clinton National Security Adviser, Feb, 18, 1998
”[W]e urge you, after consulting with Congress, and consistent with the U.S. Constitution and laws, to take necessary actions (including, if appropriate, air and missile strikes on suspect Iraqi sites) to respond effectively to the threat posed by Iraq’s refusal to end its weapons of mass destruction programs.”
– Letter to President Clinton, signed by Sens. Carl Levin,
Tom Daschle, John Kerry, and others Oct. 9, 1998
“Saddam Hussein has been engaged in the development of weapons of mass destruction technology which is a threat to countries in the region and he has made a mockery of the weapons inspection process.”
– Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D, CA), Dec. 16, 1998
“Hussein has … chosen to spend his money on building weapons of mass destruction and palaces for his cronies.”
– Madeline Albright, Clinton Secretary of State, Nov. 10, 1999
“There is no doubt that … Saddam Hussein has invigorated his weapons programs. Reports indicate that biological, chemical and nuclear programs continue apace and may be back to pre-Gulf War status. In addition, Saddam continues to redefine delivery systems and is doubtless using the cover of a licit missile program to develop longer-range missiles that will threaten the United States and our allies.”
– Letter to President Bush, Signed by Sen. Bob Graham (D, FL,)
and others, December 5, 2001
“We begin with the common belief that Saddam Hussein is a tyrant and a threat to the peace and stability of the region. He has ignored the mandated of the United Nations and is building weapons of mass destruction and the means of delivering them.”
– Sen. Carl Levin (D, MI), Sept. 19, 2002
“We know that he has stored secret supplies of biological and chemical weapons throughout his country.”
– Al Gore, Sept. 23, 2002
“Iraq’s search for weapons of mass destruction has proven impossible to deter and we should assume that it will continue for as long as Saddam is in
power.” – Al Gore, Sept. 23, 2002
“We have known for many years that Saddam Hussein is seeking and developing weapons of mass destruction.”
– Sen. Ted Kennedy (D, MA), Sept. 27, 2002
“The last UN weapons inspectors left Iraq in October of 1998. We are confident that Saddam Hussein retains some stockpiles of chemical and biological weapons, and that he has since embarked on a crash course to build up his chemical and biological warfare capabilities. Intelligence reports indicate that he is seeking nuclear weapons…”
– Sen. Robert Byrd (D, WV), Oct. 3, 2002
“I will be voting to give the President of the United States the authority to use force—if necessary—to disarm Saddam Hussein because I believe that a deadly arsenal of weapons of mass destruction in his hands is a real and grave threat to our security.”
– Sen. John F. Kerry (D, MA), Oct. 9, 2002
“There is unmistakable evidence that Saddam Hussein is working aggressively to develop nuclear weapons and will likely have nuclear weapons within the
next five years … We also should remember we have always underestimated the progress Saddam has made in development of weapons of mass destruction.”
– Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D, WV), Oct 10, 2002
“He has systematically violated, over the course of the past 11 years, every significant UN resolution that has demanded that he disarm and destroy his
chemical and biological weapons, and any nuclear capacity. This he has refused to do” Rep.
– Henry Waxman (D, CA), Oct. 10, 2002
“In the four years since the inspectors left, intelligence reports show that Saddam Hussein has worked to rebuild his chemical and biological weapons stock, his missile delivery capability, and his nuclear program. He has also given aid, comfort, and sanctuary to terrorists, including al Qaeda members .. It is clear, however, that if left unchecked, Saddam Hussein will continue to increase his capacity to wage biological and chemical warfare, and will keep trying to develop nuclear weapons.”
– Sen. Hillary Clinton (D, NY), Oct 10, 2002
“We are in possession of what I think to be compelling evidence that Saddam Hussein has, and has had for a number of years, a developing capacity for the production and storage of weapons of mass destruction.” – Sen. Bob Graham (D, FL), Dec. 8, 2002
“Without question, we need to disarm Saddam Hussein. He is a brutal, murderous dictator, leading an oppressive regime … He presents a particularly grievous threat because he is so consistently prone to miscalculation … And now he is miscalculating America’s response to his continued deceit and his consistent grasp for weapons of mass destruction ... So the threat of Saddam Hussein with weapons of mass destruction is real
...”
– Sen. John F. Kerry (D, MA), Jan. 23. 2003
SO NOW THE DEMOCRATS SAY PRESIDENT BUSH LIED, THAT THERE NEVER WERE ANY WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION. If President George W. Bush would have ignored the warnings of all the Democrats, you would have continued the whining about that position.
— joro Apr 7, 09:25 PM # - #14
— Show Reid the Money Apr 7, 06:12 PM #
Reid refuses to donate to charity the almost $70,000 he got from Abramoff connections. I know on no Democrat who is not a part of the “Culture of Corruption” that permeates the Democrat Party and has for decades.
GIVE HARRY HELL
— joro Apr 7, 09:44 PM # - #14
— Show Reid the Money Apr 7, 06:12 PM #
Dario Herrera, former Clark County Commission Chairman and Harry Reid’s protege for the US House is in court again this week indicted for accepting huge bribes from a strip club operator. In addition to taking hundreds of thousands of cash bribes, he accepted lap dances for himself and his friends, oral sex in the restroom and also oral sex while on the golf course. I remember when Harry Reid took Dario to Washington to show him the ropes. He must have introduced Dario to Pig Clinton and picked up some pointers. Two other Democrats on the Clark County Commission have also been indicted for accepting bribes. The Democrats “Culture of Corruption’ extends to all levels of government. Harry’s “Train to nowhere” will enrich him further. By the way, Rory Reid, Harry’s son, replaced Dario Herrera as Clark County Commission Chairman and is running for reelection.
— joro Apr 7, 09:51 PM # - PROPOGANDA
“Propoganda seeks to represent part of the facts, to distort their relations, and to force conclusions which could not be drawn from a complete or candid survey of all the facts.” President Calvin Coolidge to the Association of Newspaper Editors, Washington – Date not in source – “Keep the Home fires Burning” – Page 1.
Excerpted from “How to Sell a War” by OhioDem1:
http://questionitnow.com/documents/How_to_sell_a_war.pdf
— REB 84 Apr 7, 10:23 PM # - 27
Harry Reids protege’
The deputy press secretary for the Department of Homeland Security was arrested last night on charges that he used the Internet to seduce an undercover Florida sheriff’s detective who he thought was a 14-year-old girl, the Polk County Sheriff’s Office said.
Brian J. Doyle, 55, was arrested at his Silver Spring home at 7:45 p.m. and charged with seven counts of using a computer to seduce a child and 16 counts of transmitting harmful materials to a minor, according to a sheriff’s office statement. He is the fourth highest ranking official in the department’s public affairs office. He is divorced and has children.
— linus Apr 7, 10:32 PM # - And here are a few more Republican weirdo’s…
Myth: Republicans value sexual morality
[edit]Specific examples, in alphabetical order
(If links are broken or missing, Google.com is your friend.)
Adelphia Communications Corp.: Donated large sums of money to some of the most conservative members of Congress. They are also the first cable company to offer hard-core adult movies to subscribers. Daily Kos article
Edison Misla Aldarondo, Republican legislator, was sentenced to 13 years in prison for molestation of his daughter and her friend for eight-year period starting when they were 9. Full Article
Randal David Ankeney, Republican activist, arrested on suspicion of sexual assault on a child with force. He faces 6 charges related to getting a 13-year-old girl stoned on pot and then having sex with her. Source Also accused of sexually assaulting another girl. Denver ABC Article
Dick Armey (R-Texas), former professor, has been accused by The Dallas Observer of sexually harassing female students.
Jim Bakker, televangelist with Pat Robertson at Robertson’s Christian Broadcasting network. Committed adultery with Jessica Hahn [1] and then used charitable donations to pay her hush money2. Fellow televangelists say he’s gay. [3][4]Indicted on 23 federal charges of fraud, tax evasion, and racketeering [5].
Bob Barr, Republican Congressman from Georgia. Sponsored the anti-gay Defense of Marriage Act, saying “The flames of hedonism, the flames of narcissism, the flames of self-centered morality are licking at the very foundation of our society, the family unit.” Was married three times. Paid for his second wife’s abortion. Failed to pay child support to the children of his first two wives and while married to his third and present wife was photographed licking whipped cream off of strippers at his inaugural party.
Merrill Robert Barter, Republican County Commissioner, pleaded guilty to unlawful sexual contact and assault on a teenage boy. Booth Bay Register Article
Robert Bauman, Republican congressman and anti-gay activist, was charged with having sex with a 16-year-old boy he picked up at a gay bar. Source: Washington Blade
Parker J. Bena, Republican activist and Bush Elector, pleaded guilty to possession of child pornography (including children as young as 3 years old) on his home computer and was sentenced to 30 months in federal prison and fined $18,000. Source
William Bennett, Drug Czar under George H. W. Bush, compulsive gambler who has had to wire as much as $1.4 million to cover gambling losses in a 2 month period. NY Press Article | Washington Monthly Article
Louis Beres, chairman of the Christian Coalition of Oregon. 3 of his family members accuse him of molesting them when they were pre-teens. Editor and Publisher article
Howard L. Brooks, Republican legislative aide and advisor to a California assemblyman, was charged with molesting a 12-year old boy and possession of child pornography. Sacramento Bee article
John Bolton Bush’s appointee ambassador to United Nations, corroborated allegations that Mr. Bolton’s first wife, Christina Bolton, was forced to engage in group sex have not been refuted by the State Department. Raw Story Article
Mike Bowers Former State Attorney General, prosecuted the famous “Bowers vs. Hardwick” case, based on Georgia anti-sodomy laws. Admitted to a 10-year adulterous affair Slate article
Pat Buchanan predidential candidate, media talking-head. His campaign refused to confirm or deny whether Pat has had chlamydia or any other venereal diseases.
Andrew Buhr, Republican politician, former committeeman for Hadley Township Missouri, was charged with two counts of first degree sodomy with a 13-year old boy. Source
Jeffrey Buley (http://www.nypost.com/news/regionalnews/36931.htm), New York Republican Party’s top lawyer, and senior political adviser to Gov. Pataki®, arrested for assaulting his wife in a drunken rage. They have two young children.
Ted Bundy campaigned for the Republican Party. Infamous serial rapist who murdered 16 women. Source: BBC
Jim Bunn Congressman of Oregon: With his success due in great part to support from the Christian Coalition, Bunn won his congressional seat, then immediately ditched his wife (and mother of his five children), married a staffer, and put his new wife on the state payroll for the unheard-of salary of $97,500. Salon.com article
John Allen Burt, Republican anti-abortion activist, convicted of sexually molesting a 15 year old girl at the home for troubled girls that he ran. Source: Pensacola News Journal
Dan Burton, Republican Congressman who, while married, fathered a child by another woman. Salon.com Article
George W. Bush, Republican president, accused in a criminal complaint and lawsuit of raping Margie Schoedinger, who was later suicided. Accused by Tammy Phillips, a former stripper quoted in the National Enquirer in 2000 saying she had an affair with Bush that had ended in 1999.
John Butler, Republican activist, was charged with criminal sexual assault on a teenage girl.
Ken Calvert, Congressman (R-Ca), champion of the Christian Coalition and its “family values.” Sued as an alimony deadbeat by his ex-wife. Said “We can’t forgive what occurred between the President and Lewinsky.” In 1993 he was caught by police receiving oral sex from a prostitute and attempted to flee the scene.
Charles Canady, Congressman (R-Florida), Judiciary Committee member. Lied to his constituents about his adulterous affair with Sharon Becker, which caused her divorce.
Lincoln Chafee, Republican Senator, admitted former cocaine user.
Helen Chenoweth, Congresswoman (R-Id.). Admitted to a six-year adulterous affair with a married associate. In 1995, Chenoweth had denied the affair when asked about it by The Spokane Spokesman-Review, but now she claims a pardon from a higher authority: “I’ve asked for God’s forgiveness, and I’ve received it,” she revealed.
Keola Childs, Republican County Councilman, pleaded guilty to sexual assault in the first degree for molesting a male child.Honolulu Star-Bulletin Article
Kevin Coan, Republican St. Louis Election Board official, arrested and charged with trying to buy sex from a 14-year-old girl whom he met on the Internet. Source: Newmax
Roy Cohn, continually condemned gays and gay rights. Was a closet gay who died of AIDS. Wikipedia Article
Dan Crane, Republican Congressman, married, father of six. Had sex with a minor working as a congressional page. Salon.com article
Paul Crouch Televangelist, Former President of Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN). Paid $425,000 in hush money in an attempt to cover up a gay affair. Christianity Today article
Richard A. Dasen Sr., Republican benefactor of conservative Christian groups, convicted of sexual abuse of children, promotion of prostitution and several counts of solicitation, enough to add up to a sentence of 126 years in prison. Investigators estimated that he spent up to $5,000,000 on prostitutes.
Missoulian Article on the trial | Missoulian Article on his conviction
Richard A. Delgaudio, Republican fundraiser and Bush pioneer, was found guilty of child porn charges. WBAL Channel article
Peter Dibble, Republican legislator pleaded no contest to having an inappropriate relationship with a 13-year-old girl. News Channel 8 Article
Nicholas Elizondo, Republican director of the “Young Republican Federation” molested his 6-year old daughter and was sentenced to six years in prison. Halfway down this Bakersfield Californian article
Larry Dale Floyd, Republican Constable in Denton County, Texas Precinct Two. Arrested for allegedly crossing state lines to have sex with an 8-year old child and was charged with 7 related offenses. Age 62 at time of arrest. Dallas News Article | Atrios Article
John Fund, of the Wall Street Journal, a prominent anti-abortion columnist and GOP fund raiser. He lost his position after it was revealed that he impregnated the daughter of an old girlfriend and then encouraged her to abort his child. American Politics Journal Article
Jeff Gannon Partisan blogger with no journalism credentials and a fake name who got invited to Bush’s Press conferences. Is also a pimp and a gay prostitute. Truthout Article. See also dKospedia’s page on Jeff Gannon.
Jack W. Gardner, Republican Councilman, had been convicted of molesting a 13-year old girl. when the Republican Party, knowing of these crimes, put him on the ballot. Article with documents
Richard Gardner, a Nevada State Representative®, admitted to molesting his two daughters. Review Journal Article
Newt Gingrich, married three times. Gingrich campaign worker Anne Manning admitted that she gave Newt oral sex while he was still married to his first wife. Informed one wife he was filing for divorce while she was in the hospital recovering from cancer treatments. Salon article
Philip Giordano, Republican mayor sentenced to 37 years for forcing two 8 and 10 year old girls to perform oral sex on him in his City Hall office. NBC Article | Newsday Article
Rudy Giuliani, had an adulterous affair. Pocketed $80,000 for speaking at a charity benefit for tsunami aid which raised $60,000 for the victims themselves (Feb 2005).
Matthew Glavin, president and CEO of the Southeastern Legal Foundation, big player in the Clinton Impeachment, and many anti-gay jihads, has been arrested multiple times for public indeceny, one time fondling the crotch of the officer who was arresting him. Full Article
Marty Glickman (a.k.a. “Republican Marty”), Republican activist, was taken into custody by Florida police on four counts of unlawful sexual activity with a juvenile and one count of delivering the drug LSD.
Mark A. Grethen, Republican activist, convicted on six counts of sex crimes involving children. Orlando Weekly article
Jon Grunseth, Republican businessman and candidate for Minnesota governor, withdrew his candidacy after allegations surfaced that he went swimming in the nude with four underage girls, including his daughter, and tried to grope one. “I’ve made some mistakes” he said. USA Today article
Dr. W. David Hager Bush appointee, member of Focus on the Family’s Physician Resource Council, player in movement to ban the morning-after-pill. Had an adulterous affair, before divorcing his wife he sexually abused her, including sodomizing her in her sleep. Article
Mark Harris, Republican city councilman who is described as a “good military man” and “church goer,” was convicted of repeatedly having sex with an 11-year-old girl and sentenced to 12 years in prison.
John Hathaway, Republican Senate candidate, was accused of having sex with his 12-year old baby sitter and withdrew his candidacy after the allegations were reported in the media. Source: Casco Bay weekly
Howard Scott Heldreth, anti-abortion activist who gained fame during the Shiavo media-circus, was convicted of two charges of raping a child in 2002. page at Florida Department of Law Enforcement’s Sexual Offender/Predator Unit
Mike Hintz, a First Assembly of God youth pastor, introduced by Bush on the campaign trail, and promoted his policies. Says he supports Bush’s values. Two months later, this married father of four turned himself into police, charged with the sexual exploitation of a child. Article | Commentary
Also signed an ad (that called for criminally prosecuting business that sell porn), along with another pastor who was repeatedly busted for public masturbation.
Neal Horsley, anti-abortion activist. Has called for the arrest of all homosexuals. Admitted on the Fox News Radio’s The Alan Colmes Show, that he’s had sex with mules. Put photographs on his Web site of naked men engaging in homosexual acts and a nude woman engaging in bestiality amid shots of grotesquely maimed fetuses. Drug dealer convicted of possession of hashish with intent to sell. He calls for “the establishment of a new government, one that can obey God’s plan for government.”
Tim Hutchinson, divorced his wife of 29 years to marry a congressional aide he was having an affair with.
Henry Hyde, Judge who oversaw Clinton’s impeachment proceedings, prominent opponent of reproductive rights, who had an extramarital affair with a woman who was married and had three children, during the course of which she and her husband were divorced. Salon.com article
Don Haidl, Assistant Sheriff of Orange Country, in violation of California’s rape shield law, led a smear campaign against the child his son poisoned and then violently gang-raped on videotape, adding up to 24 felony counts. He said that his son “acted accordingly” because the child was a “slut”. The full gruesome story, with many newspaper articles.
Paul Ingram, Republican Party leader of Thurston County, Washington, pleaded guilty to six counts of raping his daughters and served 14 years in federal prison. Source: The Olympian
Bill Janklow, former S. Dakota Governor and Congressman, arrested for drunk driving, disorderly conduct, assaulting an officer, and indecent exposure in 1974. Pardoned his son-in-law for multiple drunk driving convictions in 2002. Resigned congressional seat due to a manslaughter conviction in a reckless driving incident in 2003.
Bernard Kerik, had two simultaneous adulterous affairs.
Earl Kimmerling, sentenced to 40 years in prison after he confessed to molesting an 8-year old girl after he attempted to stop a gay couple from adopting her. Source
Lawrence E. King, Jr., Republican Activist, organized orgies with child prostitutes at the White House during the 1980s. Full page including Washington Times article Discovery Channel documentary
I. Lewis Libby, former Assistant to the President and Chief of Staff to Vice President Dick Cheney. In 1996 published a novel containing bizaree sexual content, including beastiality and pedophillia. Full Details (Oh yeah, and he’s also been indicted on obstruction of justice, perjury and making false statements, charges adding up to 10 years in prison.)
Rush Limbaugh, triple-divorcee6, 30-pill a day drug addict. Goodies from The Smoking Gun.com
Bob Livingston, former Congressman (R-La.) resigned from the House in the wake of revelations about his past adultery.
Donald Lukens, Republican Congressman, was found guilty of having sex with a minor – a girl he was accused of sleeping with since she was 13. Time Article
Pat McPherson, Douglas County Election Commissioner. Arrested for fondling a 17-year-old girl. Article
Jon Matthews, Republican talk show host in Houston, was indicted for indecency with a child, including exposing his genitals to a girl under the age of 17. Source: ABC News
Jeff Miller, (R-Cleveland), Senate Republican Caucus Chairman in Tennessee and the sponsor of Tennessee’s Marriage Protection act, getting divorced (as of April 2005) because of an affair he was having with an office aid. Miller described the Tennessee Marriage Protection Act as a means of preserving the sanctity of marriage. He opposed an amendment, however, which stated that “Adultery is deemed to be a threat to the institution of marriage and contrary to public policy in Tennessee.” [7] [8]
Nicholas Morency, Republican anti-abortion activist, pleaded guilty to possessing child pornography on his computer and offering a bounty to anybody who murders an abortion doctor The Dallas Morning News article.
Sue Myrick, Congresswoman (R-NC), describes herself as a “devout Christian.” Committed adultery with a married man.
Bill O’Reilly Right-wing conservative talk show host on Fox News, sued for sexual harrassment by his producer.
Bob Packwood, Senator (R-Ore.), resigned in 1995 under a threat of public senate hearings related to 10 female ex-staffers accusing him of sexual harassment.
Jeffrey Patti, Republican Committee Chairman, was arrested for distributing what experts call “some of the most offensive material in the child pornography world” – a video clip of a 5-year-old girl being raped. Daily Record News Article
John Paulk, lied about prowling for gay sex while running a fundamentalist group to cure gays.
Brent Parker Utah State Representetive. Arrested for soliciting sex from an undercover officer posing as a male prostitute. KSL News Article |Deseret News Article
John Peterson, Congressman (R-Pa), accused of sexual harassment and creation of a hostile work environment by six women. Peterson has refused to admit a crime, saying only “I may have been an excessive hugger.”
Harvey Pitt, SEC Chief under George W. Bush until he was forced to resign in 2002. Worked for New Frontier Media, a firm which distributed teen sex videos.
Mark Pazuhanich, Republican judge, pleaded no contest to fondling a 10-year old girl and was sentenced to 10 years probation. Pocono Record article
Ralph Reed Former Executive Director of the Christian Coalition. Has called gambling a “cancer on the American body politic.” Recieved $3.8 million in payments from 2001-2002 from a former aide of Tom Delay, which specifically benefitted two tribal clients in their efforts to protect casino interests.
Steve Rice City Councilman and former Mayor of Sterling Heights, Republican. Charged with possession of cocaine, a felony. Crystal meth was found on his housemate, Jeremy Burns.
Rick Roach, West Texas Republican district attorney who was elected in 2000 after running a “strong anti-drug campaign.” According to the Washington Times, he was “once publicly praised for his efforts to stamp out narcotics in his part of the Panhandle.” 2205: FBI agents confiscated two handguns from Roach’s briefcase, before raiding his home and discovering “35 more guns, along with a cache of cocaine, methamphetamines, marijuana, scales and syringes.”
George Roche III, carried on a 19 year affair with his son’s wife, while serving as president of Hillsdale College, which “emphasizes the importance of the common moral truths that bind all Americans, while recognizing the importance of religion for the maintenance of a free society.”
Beverly Russell, County Chairman of the Christian Coalition, sexually molested his step-daughter, Susan Smith, who later drowned her two children. Herald-Journal Article |Commentary on Newsweek Article
Rick Santorum, used $100,000 of PA state funds earmarked for that state’s school children to educate his own children, who were not residents of Pennsylvania. source (http://www.postgazette.com/pg/04323/413787.stm)
Joe Scarborough, former Republican Congressman, currently a conservative talk show host. Resigned his congressional seat abruptly to spend more time with his family, amidst allegations of an affair. His intern, Lori Klausutis, was soon after found dead in his office. The medical examiner, who had his license revoked in Missouri for falsifying information in an autopsy report, and suspended in florida for six years, ruled the case an accident, after giving conflicting information about her injuries. He said he lied about them because “The last thing we wanted was 40 questions about a head injury.”
Ed Schrock, two-term republican congressman, with a 92% approval rating from the Christian Coalition. Cosponsor of the Federal Marriage Amendment, consistently opposed gay rights. Married, with wife and kids. Withdrew his candidacy for a third term after tapes of him soliciting for gay sex were circulated.
Dr. Laura Schlessinger, right wing conservative radio host. Promotes family values, estranged from her mother, opposes birth control, has had her tubes tied, espouses saving oneself for marriage, admits to having had sex before she was married, opposes adultery, has committed adultery while she was married, and has slept with a married man, opposes divorce, is divorced and remarried, has posed for nude photos which are available online.
Arnold Schwarzenegger, Republican governor, had sex with a 16 year old when he was 28.
John Scmitz, right-wing republican congressman, who had had his committee chairship taken away from him in the California State Senate after issuing a press release attacking Jews, feminists and gays. Forced out of office in 1982 for having an adulterous affair and fathering two children out of wedlock with one of his students. He was caught because his baby was admitted to hospital for having hair tied so tightly around his penis that it was almost severed. His daughter, Mary Kay LeTourneau, was convicted of having an adulterous affair with one of her students, and giving birth to two of his children. Wikipedia article
Larry Jack Schwarz, Republican parole board officer and former Colorado state representative, fired after child pornography was found in his possession. Rocky Mountain News article With his political career over, he went to work in the hard-core pornography industry for Platinum X Pictures, owned by his daughter, porn starlet Jewel De’Nyle (Stephany Schwarz). Wikipedia article
Jim Stelling, Seminole County Republican Party chairman who believes in “family values”, as he told a judge. Filed a defamation lawsuit againt Nancy Goettman, a former county GOP executive committee member, for falsely claiming he had been married six times. Stelling has been married 5 times. Article
Don Sherwood, Republican member of the U.S. House of Representatives. Eventually admitted to an affar with a woman 30 years younger than him, after she accused him of physical abuse and attempting to choke her. Post-Gazette article
Tom Shortridge. Republican campaign consultant, was sentenced to three years probation for taking nude photographs of a 15-year old girl. LA Times article
Fred C. Smeltzer, Jr., Republican City Councilman, pleaded no contest to raping a 15 year-old girl and served 6-months in prison. Sex Offender Registry page | Article
John Snow, Secretary of the Treasury, securities fraud class action lawsuit, sued by his ex-wife for child support, and has been arrested for DUI.
Craig J. Spence, Republican lobbyist, organized orgies with child prostitutes in the White House during the 1980s. Full page including Washington Times article Discovery Channel documentary
Jimmy Swaggart, televangelist, said during a sermon “I’m trying to find the correct name for it … this utter absolute, asinine, idiotic stupidity of men marrying men. … I’ve never seen a man in my life I wanted to marry. And I’m gonna be blunt and plain; if one ever looks at me like that, I’m gonna kill him and tell God he died.” Had an affair with a prostitute.
David Swartz, Republican County Commissioner, pleaded guilty to molesting two girls under the age of 11 and was sentenced to 8 years in prison. Rocky Mountain News Article
Randall Terry, Right to Life activist, founder of Operation Rescue, involved in the Terri Schiavo protests. Once imprisoned for sending former President Bill Clinton an aborted fetus. His son Jamiel is gay; his daughter Tila had sex outside of marriage, became pregnant, had a miscarriage – she is no longer welcome in his home; his daughter Ebony had 2 children outside of wedlock and became Muslim. He has campaigned against infidelity and birth control, gays and unwed mothers. Terry himself was censured by his church after committing adultery.
Bill Thomas Republican congressman, had an affair with Deborah Steelman, a health care lobbyist who steered huge campaign gifts to Thomas’ war chest.
Strom Thurmond, republican senator and racist, raped and impregnanted a 15-year old African American maid. (BBC Article)
Robin Vanderwall, Republican strategist and Citadel Military College graduate, convicted in Virginia on five counts of soliciting sex from boys and girls over the internet. Virginian-Pilot Article
Robert Waltrip, Bush campaign contributor. Runs a funeral company which had to settle a lawsuit because bodies were being dug up and dumped in the woods. George W. Bush, who had met with Waltrip, was subpoenaed but refused to testify in the case.
J.C. Watts, Representative (R-Oklahoma), loud champion of “moral values.” Has out-of-wedlock children.
Jim Wesr, Spokane Mayor. Supported a bill, which failed, would have barred gays and lesbians from working in schools, day-care centers and some state agencies. Voted to bar the state from distributing pamphlets telling people how to protect themselves from AIDS. Proposed that “any touching of the sexual or other intimate parts of a person” among teens be criminalized. Had a sexual affair with an 18 year old boy.Source: Spokesman review
Keith Westmoreland, a Tennessee state representative®, was arrested on seven felony counts of lewd and lascivious exhibition to minors under 16 (i.e. exposing himself to children). Tennesean Article
Stephen White, Republican preacher. Was arrested after allegedly offering $20 to a 14-year-old boy for permission to perform oral sex on him. Daily Pennsylvanian article | Daily yale News Article
— linus Apr 7, 10:35 PM # - Sorry about the spam, but these neoconservative trolls are completely out of line, with their attacks on Harry Reid, and the Democratic party. All they can do to make their idol appear to be an intelligent caring human is to attack anything Democratic. The fact that we all know, is that George W Bush is incompetent, and is nothing but a figurehead that parrots his idiotic renditions of what he sees on the teleprompter. How many press conferences has he had? Have you ever noticed the pauses, while he is listening for his next cue? In my mind, it really seems ludicrous that we have a so called leader, Who can’t even carry on an intelligent conversation, especially when he is given a question, that wasn’t in the script…
— linus Apr 7, 11:02 PM # - What I’m saying is that Karl Rove needs to do a script for Georgie, so he can explain the uh… leak…uh In short…uh…. sentences.
— linus Apr 7, 11:08 PM # - Well done Senator Reid! Nice statement. Can it be folded into the censure issue, as another item on which the president has clearly lied to the people of the United States, and the US Congress?
It amazes me the number of wingnuts who feel the need to come here and attack you – I’m glad you have that patient and loving background; I’d be really mad if it was my website!
— Arthur Smith Apr 7, 11:21 PM # - 25 joro
If you really believe that President BUSH lied – – THAT THERE NEVER WERE ANY WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION IN IRAQ AND HE TOOK US TO WAR SOLELY FOR HIS OIL BUDDIES—then read this..
You can rattle on with your gibberish about what other people did, but the fact still remains. George W Bush lied.
I’m sure that you remember the events leading up to the war, with all of the neocons parroting the same thing over and over, and then co-ercing poor old Colon Powell to do a presentation to the UN, of which all of these things proved to be utterly false. People demonstrated against this war in probably the largest demonstration in history, because we knew that he was lying. It is estimated that there were a million people in London England, and demonstrations in all the cities in the US. There were a lot of cities, like San Francisco, Chicago, etc. that proclaimed that they as a community were against going to war. You know as well as I do that the media was stifled, and that the amount of demonstrators was greatly under reported.
— linus Apr 7, 11:26 PM # - #29
The deputy press secretary for the Department of Homeland Security
— linus Apr 7, 10:32 PM #
There were many holdovers from the corrupt Clinton administration that President George W. Bush should have sent packing instead of Bush trying to be a uniter.
— joro Apr 8, 12:54 AM # - #30
— linus Apr 7, 10:35 PM #
Good copy and paste job from one of those lie filled DNC propaganda sites. Thankfully, Republicans do not participate in digging up decades old dirt containing false accusations. My post regarding Harry Reid’s protege accepting bribes is in the courts today.
— joro Apr 8, 01:10 AM # - #31, #32 Linus
Yes, that big dummy George sure seems to get the best of the libs every time. I guess that makes the corrupt, incompetent Democrats nothing but idiots.
— joro Apr 8, 01:16 AM # - joro,
your posts are the skidmarks on this blogs shorts.
— Poor Daddy Apr 8, 01:17 AM # - Harry, please comment on the economic news out today. Unemployment down to 4.7%, here in Nevada (you spell it NAVADA) it is 3.7%, over 200,000 new jobs created in March, all other indicators setting positive records for America. In your comment, please be sure to mention that you were wrong and lied and that the Bush/Republican tax cuts were just fantastic for America and also apologize for voting against America and promise that from this day forward you will do what is best for America first and the Democrat party last. You today failed America on the immigration Bill putting your corrupt, incompetent party first. Please resign and let an American take your position.
— joro Apr 8, 01:26 AM # - #142 from the prior topic:
The simplest and most effective method of stopping illegal immigration is to withdraw employment.
First offense, stiff fines for CEO’s of companys that hire illegals. Second offense, stiff fines coupled with jail time…...and very strict enforcement.
The flood of workers will dry up within a years time.
Quit fucking with the poor Mexicans and go after the source of the problem…..the suppliers of illegal jobs.
— Poor Daddy Apr 5, 01:39 PM #
Sounds good. I hear Clinton has an illegal driver. That would finally get Clinton behind bars where the criminal belongs.
— joro Apr 8, 01:31 AM # - 29
The Bush administration is incompetent.
Doyle was with homeland security since its inception. This certainly doesn’t doesn’t make me feel very secure. You would think that a department with responsibilities of this magnitude would have a few doublechecks on the personel. This loser was caught in a sting operation by a concerned citizen group that decided to do something on their own to stop internet crime. Chertoff showed his concern by calling it a misstep…
Doyle, 55, allegedly provided the pseudo-victim with his government-issued office phone and cell phone numbers, showed off his department ID and may have used his official computer in chatting her up.
But Chertoff, noting that “individuals will misstep,” said he doubted the offense created a risk to national security based on the allegations.
— linus Apr 8, 01:41 AM # - I must say that this blog tends to get way off topic. Any criticism of Bush is met with personal attacks or attempts to change the subject. This is what passes for the marketplace of ideas in America today. Yet this is a deadly serious subject. I wouldn’t even bother to post on this blog if this wasn’t such a serious subject. Our pre-war intelligence was faulty, and we need to know how it got to be so bad. It doesn’t help to say Clinton was wrong or Kerry was wrong. We need to know why the system failed so badly and hold those responsible accountable. Were there any serious consequences from the outing of Valerie Plame? In the world of classified information, who can find out? It has been said that she was working to find out about Iran’s weapons programs. Who knows for sure? How many Iranians who might have given her (or any of her associates under the same cover) information have been arrested or executed? What vital information are we now missing in Iran because of this? Will we go to war against Iran (or fail to go to war against Iran) because of this missing intelligence? How many CIA agents must now wonder if they will be outed by the whim of an administration? How many good people will leave the CIA or other government service because they believe the intelligence system is being corrupted? How can anyone believe the government if the government controls the flow of information? How can a democracy survive in such a circumstance? This is bigger than just Valerie Plame or Scooter Libby. This is bigger than just one President. This goes to the heart of preserving a democratic republic.
“…the administration is able to keep secrets and classify things that
they don’t want out that are politically embarrassing, that are going to
hurt them; in this case, things that were going to hurt them from
getting re-elected. And they’ve had these extraordinary leak
investigations, using the powers of the state, Grand Jury, the Justice
Department and such, to an extent that hasn’t been used since probably
the Nixon administration in Watergate. So on the one hand, they’re
tightening the amount of information that can get out, anything that’s
going to hurt them, they can keep that classified. On the other hand,
they’ve radically changed the system in that they can put out anything
they like. So, you get pretty much a one—you get a version of events which is what the government or what the administration wants to tell you, which is just harmful to democracy. And what I think we’re seeing is – and it has nothing to do with Republican, Democrat, liberal, you know,
conservative, rightwing, leftwing—you don’t want to give an
administration, you don’t want to give a government that power. You
don’t want to allow them to become a sovereign when it comes to the
dissemination of information, because information is essential to a
democracy.” See http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=06/04/07/144207
Senator Reid wants to know the truth and is insulted for making that request. Every American should want to know the truth.
— Leo Brown Apr 8, 02:22 AM # - Just for fun visit blogsforbush.com
It is just too funny, the spinning is soo strong it threatens to disrupt our own earth’s orbit.
So my fellow progressives. Let us take the battle to the enemy and convine, ala Joro et-al rupug trolls at the blog of the enemy.
It is much more fun over there, kind of like shooting ducks in a barrel.
-Joe
Reno, NV
— Joe Apr 8, 02:43 AM # - In a recent poll, 3% of the republican party actually (you can’t make this shit up) believe, that there is a man who lives in the sky and throws fire when he is mad.
-Joe
Reno, NV
— Joe Apr 8, 02:47 AM # - #44 In a recent poll, 3% of the republican party actually (you can’t make this shit up) believe, that there is a man who lives in the sky and throws fire when he is mad.
-Joe
++++++++++++++++++++
Yeah, Joe,I heard about that poll, it was taken over at the daily kos, or the huff and puff blog or moooo on .org. All the participants were asked the same question. 3% of the Republicans agreed and 15% of the dumcrats agreed. They were then given a glass of kool aid.
— Kee Apr 8, 09:04 AM # - http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/12206700/site/newsweek/from/RSS/
Eleanor Clift in Newsweek
“There is no evidence that Bush specifically authorized the leaking of Plame’s identity, and the White House is refusing to comment on an ongoing court case. But it’s not that far a reach to imagine that the president gave his tacit support to the leak. There’s nothing this administration won’t do under the guise of battling terrorism. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales testified on Capitol Hill this week that he wouldn’t rule out the president allowing warrantless wiretapping on Americans without the fiction that they are conversing with someone overseas. The only way the American people can stop Bush’s imperial expansion of power short is to turn out in massive numbers to take back one or the other body of Congress from Republican control.”
— Leo Brown Apr 8, 10:11 AM # - #42 Leo
“Were there any serious consequences from the outing of Valerie Plame? In the world of classified information, who can find out? It has been said that she was working to find out about Iran’s weapons programs.”
I remember reading about that in Raw Story (yes, I will read from them on occasion when I find such assertions). I believe, through speculation only, that even if Plame was working on Iran’s weapons development, her being outed did nothing harmful regarding the national security situation of the US. If anything, it exacerbates a problem the CIA has in that it seems to hold back information from the President. This was all but admitted to by former CIA higher-up Paul Pillar. I would go further by saying that the top levels within the CIA have a vested interest in their budgeting levels by keeping this information from the President. They can say that they need the finances to keep a close, covert eye on situations like Iran, and continue to gather data. How long they would have retained this information is unknown, but it didn’t seem like they were willing to part with it anytime soon. There work is based on keeping information through subterfuge, and the budgeting reflects that.
If Plame’s unexpected outing caused the CIA’s monitoring of information about Iran’s nukes to be stopped, it can be assumed that Bush forced the CIA to provide him with the data about it. This was good as it allowed Bush, in October, 2003, to tell the world that Iran, a known state sponsor of terrorist groups, was developing nuclear weapons and that this action must be stopped before it went any further. For the CIA to monitor Iran indefinitely, without any knowledge by other world leaders, would have allowed the Iranian government to continue their deception. The bottom line is that it is the elected officials (Bush and Congress) who need to determine when this kind of information gets out, not some desk-bound bureaucrat.
Was Plame outed? Yes, no doubt. Was she covert? In my mind, this hasn’t really been established. Was she outed in order to smear her husband? In all honesty, I don’t know as this has yet to be established. If it was, then I would say it was wrong. But the facts of whether or not this is the case aren’t all in, and the effects on the Wilsons do not support this. Joe Wilson, himself, began the smear campaign against the President by talking to reporters Walter Pincus and Nicholas Kristof, then writing his own op-ed in the New York Times. What is amazing is that less than a year before, he was spouting the same Iraqi WMD assertions as the President and most of Congress.
“Senator Reid wants to know the truth and is insulted for making that request. Every American should want to know the truth.”
And the reason for this is that Reid is doing this in bad faith for purely political gain by the Democratic Party. He has consistently shown himself to be an obstructionist, when he said he wouldn’t be. He states that the Plame outing is a matter of national security, then smears the President when programs like the NSA terrorist surveillance is outed, instead of working with the President to find the treasonous, low-down, cowardly traitor who leaked this to the New York Times. He is stealthily supporting Feingold’s ridiculous censure resolution. And, he apparently is more concerned with the potential voting rights of previously convicted illegal alien felons than in working on a comprehensive immigration bill. In light of these things, Reid’s status as a Senator and the leader of the senators in the opposing party have no meaning. He lacks credibility due to what he says and does, not for the “titles” he has.
— Steve Apr 8, 10:34 AM # - One other point. Many of the Democrats in Congress have supported the President’s hard line in dealing with Iran. But they did the same thing with regards to Iraq’s WMDs, as well as the other, equally valid reasons Bush made for kicking out Saddam Hussein. Most of them have spent the last year back-pedaling on this and trying to claim Bush manipulated the intelligence information. As I said before, CIA higher-up Paul Pillar all but admitted that the CIA itself manipulated the intelligence that went up to the President. Therefore, who can believe that the Democrats will continue to press Iran to stop its nuclear weapons development, if they do the same as with Iraq if it becomes politically expedient for them to do so. Again, it is the credibility of the Democrats that needs to be questioned.
— Steve Apr 8, 10:49 AM # - So – Scooter conveniently “Forgot” what he deliberately, and with Cheneyac malice aforethought revealed to maybe a dozen or so “Journalists” (only ONE of whom was enough of an outright stooge for the mal-Administration – or sufficient of a traitor to use the info. Frankly, I think too much is being made of Libby’s toadying to Cheney; the one who should be spread out on an anthill is NOVAK!) But that aside, in the February 23 edition of Executive Intelligence Review is a four page article entitled “Cheney’s Crimes: The Wilson-Plame Affair,” being a chronology from October 2001 to date, listing some 75 crimes and misdemeanors committed by or at the instance of the veeper. Not enough is being made of the facts that Plame’s entire apparat was compromised to the point of destruction, and the cause of non-proliferation set back years, if not destroyed entirely, and several operatives put in danger of their lives, merely to strike back at Joe Wilson’s perfectly legitimate complaint that the “Intelligence” upon which the neo-cons were allegedly relying was a clumsy forgery. The summation of results adds up to HIGH TREASON, and if Bush actually authorized it even honest Republicans (if there are any except Ron Paul) should regard it as not only an IMPEACHABLE offense, but one which calls for not only removal from office, but prosecution and appropriate sentencing for treasonous behavior in time of war. I have my doubts that Bush actually recognized the fruits of his actions, but that is no excuse. If he did it, his days should (rightly) be numbered. Will THIS Congre$$ do anything about it? Highly doubtful, unless Boehner has less clout than DeLay did. The venal element of the GOP has too tight a hold on the actions of the House – and at least they’re “honest politicians-” You know, “An honest politician stays bought,” and DeLay bought a large number of them with Abramoff’s money – and other corporate donor million$. We have, in Will Rogers’ felicitous words, “The best Congress money can buy.” Are they ashamed of it? Will they try to rectify matters? Not as long as they have their hands out for more corporate largesse, which Mr. Tobacco Lobby is just as likely as the late Tom to have on hand. That the World’s finest deliberative body has been brought so low is directly attributable to DeLay, Hastert, and a few other conscienceless “K-Street Project” operatives. They should hide their heads – better yet, resign before the indictments come down, so that they can use the money to hire lawyers, as DeLay is doing.
And, BTW, Harry, when are you going to stop letting the vipers and trolls who infest this site have venting space? Your Admin. should examine all posts and simply erase any which are as full of used food as stevie, joro, kee, et als dish out. The problem with allowing such garbage is that decent people will be repelled by it, and stop visiting the site to read your material. Live up to the website name! GIVE ‘EM HELL< HARRY! – but give’em NO SPACE!
— tedeger Apr 8, 11:09 AM # - #49 tedeger
“And, BTW, Harry, when are you going to stop letting the vipers and trolls who infest this site have venting space? Your Admin. should examine all posts and simply erase any which are as full of used food as stevie, joro, kee, et als dish out. The problem with allowing such garbage is that decent people will be repelled by it, and stop visiting the site to read your material. Live up to the website name! GIVE ‘EM HELL< HARRY! – but give’em NO SPACE!”
In the words of Steve Martin, “Well, excuuuuuuse meeeeeeeeee!!!”
Thanks for attempting to deny me my First Amendment right of protected free speech.
Don’t tell me; you’re for the soldiers and I shouldn’t question your patriotism, right?
— Steve Apr 8, 12:25 PM # - Once again Mr. Reid, you have obstructed the Senate’s immigration legislation. It is clear you do not support law & order, at least for illegal aliens. Is the Hispanic vote more important to you? What happened to the immigration bill you sponsored in ‘93? It’s the same bill Frist submits and now you want to stop it. Quit pandering to Eastern elitists, quit flip flopping & quit obstructing legislation. That’s not what you got elected to do for us here in this great state of Nevada. Please resign, donate the Abramoff monies, we can’t take 4 more years of your obstructionism.
— lvdrummer Apr 8, 01:26 PM # - “Mr. President, yesterday the American people received the shocking news that the Vice President’s former Chief of Staff, Scooter Libby, may have acted on direct orders from President Bush when he leaked classified intelligence to reporters.”
Legally this information you refer to was declassified. Period. Stop deferring your own obstructionism & corruption.
— lvdrummer Apr 8, 01:45 PM # - #52 lvdrummer
You got it exactly right. Short, sweet, to the point.
— Steve Apr 8, 02:02 PM # - #42 excerpt:
Our pre-war intelligence was faulty, and we need to know how it got to be so bad. It doesn’t help to say Clinton was wrong or Kerry was wrong. We need to know why the system failed so badly and hold those responsible accountable.
— Leo Brown Apr 8, 02:22 AM #
Wishful thinking, Leo, with the Democrats being so partisan. Best example, the person most responsible for a failure in our intelligence was Jamie Gorelick who the Democrats appointed to the 911 Commission to, in effect, investigate herself and her bosses and cover up for the crimes and incompetence of the prior administration that directly caused 911. Critical data was hidden in the final report and efforts to have my Senator, Harry Reid, pursue the ones responsible were obstructed by Reid for his own filthy, anti-American partisan purposes.
— joro Apr 8, 02:07 PM # - tedeger raises an interesting point about having a troll-less blog. Yet I understand the idea of a free for all. Does the White House have the guts to have such a free for all on an official blog? Perhaps Harry could have two blogs on this site, one for his supporters and one that is a free for all. Yes, Steve has First Amendment rights, which I strongly support. But each blog can have its own rules, as is well established in the blogosphere.
— Leo Brown Apr 8, 02:23 PM # - #49
And, BTW, Harry, when are you going to stop letting the vipers and trolls who infest this site have venting space? Your Admin. should examine all posts and simply erase any which are as full of used food as stevie, joro, kee, et als dish out. The problem with allowing such garbage is that decent people will be repelled by it, and stop visiting the site to read your material. Live up to the website name! GIVE ‘EM HELL< HARRY! – but give’em NO SPACE!
— tedeger Apr 8, 11:09 AM #
The Communist Manifesto of 1848, which the Democrats adhere to, also calls for the control of speech.
GIVE HARRY HELL
— joro Apr 8, 02:26 PM # - #51
Once again Mr. Reid, you have obstructed the Senate’s immigration legislation. It is clear you do not support law & order, at least for illegal aliens. Is the Hispanic vote more important to you? What happened to the immigration bill you sponsored in ‘93? It’s the same bill Frist submits and now you want to stop it. Quit pandering to Eastern elitists, quit flip flopping & quit obstructing legislation. That’s not what you got elected to do for us here in this great state of Nevada. Please resign, donate the Abramoff monies, we can’t take 4 more years of your obstructionism.
— lvdrummer Apr 8, 01:26 PM #
Good recap of the recent despicable actions of the pathetic, incompetent, liar Reid. He is such an embarrassment to us Nevadans. He clearly depicts the immoral Democrats position of being soft on crime and criminals. His support of Democrat bribe takers comes as no surprise either.
— joro Apr 8, 02:32 PM # - #55 Leo Brown
This is a tax supported blog so we have the right to post here. Let’s stop the partisanship and GIVE HARRY HELL when he deserves it and support him if he ever does something to our liking which I doubt that he is capable of.
— joro Apr 8, 02:37 PM # - Israel fired a missile into a car murdering 6 Palestinians including a 5 year old girl yesterday. I call on all Americans to contact your Senators and Representatives demanding they take action to cut off all foreign aid to Israel if they continue these terrorist acts. Palestine is a sovereign nation entitled to be secure and safe from the Israelis terrorism which has murdered many thousands of Palestinians.
— joro Apr 8, 02:47 PM # - I think Steve’s speculations are the stuff of right-wing fantasy. It reminds me of the Neocon fantasy about the war being a cakewalk strewn with flowers instead of EID’s and the reconstruction self-financed by Iraq’s oil.
Yet wanting to know the truth instead of accepting these fantasies is called “bad faith” for “purely political gain” and “smearing.” And we are to believe that everything the Neocons have done has been in good faith with no thought to the politics involved? Give me a break. Does this administration have any credibility left after falling back on the divine right to classify anything and declassify anything and demonizing anyone who leaks except the President, who by definition can do nothing illegal due his inherent powers? The founding fathers must be rolling in their graves.
How many GOP Senators have leapt to the President’s defense in the latest turn in this on-going scandal? They are looking at the President’s poll numbers and know that the American people no longer trust the President.
As for Paul Pillar, see the other side at
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/02/09/AR2006020902418.html
“The former CIA official who coordinated U.S. intelligence on the Middle East until last year has accused the Bush administration of “cherry-picking” intelligence on Iraq to justify a decision it had already reached to go to war, and of ignoring warnings that the country could easily fall into violence and chaos after an invasion to overthrow Saddam Hussein.
Paul R. Pillar, who was the national intelligence officer for the Near East and South Asia from 2000 to 2005, acknowledges the U.S. intelligence agencies’ mistakes in concluding that Hussein’s government possessed weapons of mass destruction. But he said those misjudgments did not drive the administration’s decision to invade.
“Official intelligence on Iraqi weapons programs was flawed, but even with its flaws, it was not what led to the war,” Pillar wrote in the upcoming issue of the journal Foreign Affairs. Instead, he asserted, the administration “went to war without requesting—and evidently without being influenced by—any strategic-level intelligence assessments on any aspect of Iraq.”
“It has become clear that official intelligence was not relied on in making even the most significant national security decisions, that intelligence was misused publicly to justify decisions already made, that damaging ill will developed between [Bush] policymakers and intelligence officers, and that the intelligence community’s own work was politicized,” Pillar wrote.”
No wonder Pillar is now demonized by the right wing. No telling what tales they might spread about him. This sort of truth-telling cannot go unpunished in the Neocon world.
— Leo Brown Apr 8, 03:03 PM # - #50 Excuse me
It’s called editing Steve. one of the favorite pastimes of the neoconservatives….Kudos to
tedeger for the suggestion… Part of free speech is the editing of your own material…RE: blog.
Harry is doing a fine job in the senate, and is to be commended for his efforts to make the neocons come up with a viable bill on immigration.
From the LA Times
Immigrant Bill Snared by Web of Suspicion
By Ronald Brownstein, Times Staff Writer
April 8, 2006
The proximate cause of this week’s breakdown was a series of unusual procedural demands by Reid.
He insisted that Frist limit the number of amendments that could be offered to the bill. He also called on Frist to commit to naming members of the Judiciary Committee — most of whom favor a comprehensive approach to rewriting immigration laws — as the representatives who would advocate for the chamber’s bill in negotiations with the House.
Frist rejected the demands, denouncing them as unreasonable attempts by the minority to dictate Senate procedures to the majority.
These procedural disputes, though, seem only proxies for the larger, more political differences.
Most observers agree that Frist’s insistence on allowing introduction of numerous amendments reflected pressure from Senate conservatives unhappy with the compromise bill that he blessed this week.
Although virtually all Senate Democrats embraced that package, it appears that at most, little more than half the GOP caucus supports it. As a result, Frist faced strong demands from conservative critics to allow votes on amendments that would toughen the legislation’s enforcement provisions and narrow its legalization elements.
Repeatedly in recent years, the Senate has forged bipartisan agreements on issues such as energy policy, the Medicare prescription drug plan and renewal of the Patriot Act, only to see much more conservative approaches emerge from conference committees with the House.
Such a shift seems possible again because the House immigration legislation, drafted largely by Judiciary Committee Chairman F. James Sensenbrenner Jr. (R-Wis.), would not create any guest-worker program or a route to citizenship for illegal immigrants. Instead, it focuses on tough enforcement measures, such as the building of a border wall and a provision designating illegal immigrants as felons.
— linus Apr 8, 03:31 PM # - 60 Leo Brown
Excellent post, and a good job of holding the neoconservative trolls at bay. The truth, as revealed by Paul R Piller, is the same truth that we knew was being underreported in the media in the months leading up to the invasion of Iraq.
The President, and all of his PNAC cronies should be censured, not only for lying, but for planning a war that was in my opinion, iniated for their own agenda in the Middle East.
— linus Apr 8, 04:17 PM # - 43 Just for fun visit blogsforbush.com
It is a funny site…I doubt that we can leave any edifying information reflecting the truth though.
Take note Steve, Kee, joro, et al….
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— linus Apr 8, 05:27 PM # - #60 Leo
‘Yet wanting to know the truth instead of accepting these fantasies is called “bad faith” for “purely political gain” and “smearing.”’
It would be fine if he wanted to learn the truth. Again, I ask, why doesn’t Reid want to know the truth of the cowards who leaked the NSA terrorist surveillance program? Why does Reid support the voting rights convicted illegal alien felons? Why doesn’t Reid support efforts to find out how much involvement al Qaeda had with Saddam Hussein’s government? And before anybody says that “Saddam Hussein didn’t have anything to do with 9/11”, I’m not saying that. But to believe he didn’t have anything to do al Qaeda is a leftist lie, only believed by a fantasy of the naive.
I’ll throw more out. Reid and the Democrats complained that Bush took a unilateral approach with Iraq