The Democrats just hijacked the senate. With no warning, Harry Reid just called for a closed session to investigate the alledged politicization of pre-war intelligence and the indictment of Libby. The motion was seconded and everyone not allowed to participate was kicked out. No staffers, cameras, blackberries, or prying eyes.
Frist is livid and said it was unprecedented to do this without consulting the other party first. CNN, of course, pointed out it was also unprecedented for Frist to campaign against the former Democratic Majority Leader, Tom Daschle, last year. Yeah, but that enabled Harry Reid to get the position. I guess Harry's not very grateful.
The Democrats are frustrated because the Plame leak investigation didn't give them nearly what they wanted. In fact it gave them almost nothing at all and if Libby goes to trial, that won't be about Iraq either. The Democrats have no power and I doubt pulling stunts like this today will help them get any either.
The Democrats want everything investigated with committees. Doesn't matter what as long as it can be investigated. But the majority party controls what does and does not get investigated, which is smart because it keeps the party out of power from keeping Congress so busy with investigations it can't get its work done. So, not enough investigations? Hijack the Senate!
If you don't have any ideas and agenda of your own, all that's left is to block the ruling party from getting its own agenda through.
Okay, this hijacking is about 2003-2004 issues, which were settled politically in Novemeber, 2004. Do you really really really want to live that election over again?
I didn't think so.
When this tactic fails for the Democrats, as it will, I guess they'll have to go to option B: the Fillibuster.
What maroons.
24 comments:
Syl:
I saw something about this.
I think the Democrats are doing exactly what you say they are doing.
It is desperate and if they can create any evidence whatsoever to bring down Bush they will.
To hell with anything and everything else.
We have young people in harm's way right now and it is a shame that they have to fight with this silliness going on in this country.
I remember Viet Nam. I remember what happened when we abandoned our soldiers and the Viet Namese people because the politics got in the way. I would hate to see that happen again.
The Democrats were every bit as responsible for that intelligence as the Republicans were, in fact the Democrats had controlled the intel for eight years before Bush came to power.
I don't know if this is about evading responsibility for their mistakes or just partisan politics in time of war but it pisses me off.
Shrug, not much more ridiculous then the Clinton impeachment fiasco.
Both parties need to knock it off and get back on track. This tit for tat nonsense in counter-productive.
Well, the Dem judge just got pulled off the DeLay case and Alito took the Libby matter off the front page - what the hell are the Dems supposed to do?
Their whole current strategy revolves around smearing the Rethuglicans - it's not as if they have a platform or any ideas to push.
You would think the Democrats would realize that months ago the American public came to terms with no WMD being found in Iraq and didn't care.
This is dead horse flogging with a vengence.
They say they will just keep it up until Bush admits he lied.
How about this?
Bush says:
I should have known better than to believe that womanizing son of a bitch Bill Clinton knew what the hell he was talking about when he played the war monger and came up with the Iraqi Liberation Act.
In the future Democrats will not be allowed to play with the grownups.
sounds fair to me.
LOL!!
Love it, Terrye!
Knuck,
Look at it this way - as long as they're doing this they're not spending your money.
"as long as they're doing this they're not spending your money."
Yeah, well Santorum didn't hesitate to inform us that this will stop debate on spending cuts and that's why the Democrats would rather talk about something else. :)
Syl:
Well it is so obvious.
Maybe this plays to the base but we have already had enough investigations and considering the fact that Sandy Berger can waltz into the National Archives, stuff God only knows what in his pants, take it home and shred it without so much as a kiss my ass from Harry Reid all this manufactured outraged indignation [again] is getting really old.
Most people think that Saddam either got rid of the stuff or everybody was just wrong anyway. If Bushitler had lied wouldn't he and his poodle Blair just have planted the weapons anyway? What is the point of being bad guys if you are just going to be inept bad guys?
Besides how long would it have taken the Butcher of Baghdad and hus psycho offsrping to get back in the business of making that stuff? He had no intention of giving up..if he did this all would have been resolved years ago.
Thank you Ross Perot. Without you Bill Clinton and his merry band of fuckups would never have gotten in the White House in the first damn place.
Excuse my French.
"What is the point of being bad guys if you are just going to be inept bad guys?"
Watch out. You said the magic words. Yeah, Bush was so stupid that he lied and forgot to cover it up.
LOL
Over at Tom Maguire's place (besides his excitement that Bush nominated Danny Devito!) he had a transcript from a Hardball segment just after Wilson's op-ed came out.
It was hilarious!
CM: Cheney sent Wilson to Niger.
Gergen: Well, I think it was the CIA who actually sent him.
CM: But Cheney told the CIA to send him.
Rockefeller: That's right.
Gergen: No, the CIA sent Wilson on their own.
CM: Right, because Cheney told them to.
Rockefeller: Exactly.
Gergen: Well, I respect your opinions.
Anyway, my point is that there are those like Matthews who simply fall for it.
Then there are those who know it's wrong but go along.
Then there are those who know, try to set the record straight, then give up.
Some of these Democrats know they're lying.
Excuse my French.
I love your accent.
I wonder if this wasn't planned out some time ago. I wonder if it was polled. Or did these guys just figure they had to do something pronto before the world moved on.
And the reason Matthews had to believe that Cheney sent Wilson to Niger was because then Cheney would get a report and then ignore it.
He had to believe the first lie, for the others to make sense.
And he wanted it sooooooooo bad.
let us see how this plays out on the news broadcasts this evening . Reid and others will obviously get face time along with Frist who used some pretty strong language today countering Ried's actions.
Oh well the Democrats will do their standing up to the bad people thingee.
And maybe it will work...but I think that the reaction to another investigation will be tepid at best.
At some point is starts getting kind of silly.
at least I would think so.
Terrye
They want it prove that Chalabi, Ledeen, or Cheney, or ::be still my beating heart:: Bush! forged those documents.
You know those documents about a sale which the caee for war did not include?
This behavior reminds me of a youngster who throws a tantrum to get attention. It betrays a sense of frustration and powerlessness.
Then antidote is the same for both phenomena. Daniel Patrick Moynahan's great phrase described it perfectly: benign neglect.
It is a mistake to react with anger or to retaliate. It is much more effective merely to wait for tantrum to subside, roll your eyes, and say something like "Wow,that was quite a display. Do you feel better now?"
Of course the Senate Democrats in fact have no power to do anything important that the Republicans do not allow them to do. They are trying to get the base het up to help them take over the Senate.
But this will just turn off those moderates who could make that happen. If the Republicans do not overplay their strong hand.
From Redstate, the Rockefeller Memo.
Syl:
What about the guy the Italians arrested? He is saying the French forged the documents.
Maybe Wilson forged them. That might have been what the trip was all about and it would explain how he claimed to know the dates etc before the documents were actually seen.
I know I am getting tired of this. the same crap over and over.
Pat Roberts just came out and called it a stunt and said it was fitting it happened on the day after Halloween.
Okay, that was 2003.
All they've gotten so far is an FBI investigation of the forgeries (started way back then) which is probably dragging its feet.
The Plame Investigation. It fizzled for them.
That's it.
Two years.
And that's it.
No wonder they're throwing a tantrum.
Oh, I shouldn't forget the SSCI report.
Which Democrats forget exists when they're arguing in blog comments. :)
Guess that doesn't count.
Of course it does not count.
They will just keep screaming 'do over' until they get the result they want one way or another.
But I remember Bill Clinton standing there looking all solemn with a grim faced Tom Dashcle at his side as the President of the United States informed the world that not only did Saddam Hussein have weapons o f mass destruction, he guranteed us the madman would use them.
Maybe the RNC should replay that on TV for awhile. Just to remind people that back in 98 it was not the Governor of Texas who was threatening war against Iraq.
Vnjagvet,
I think I'll disagree with you a bit on this. In politics, if your foe wishes to expend energy (a finite resource) refighting old lost battles, why wouldn't you join in with enthusiasm if you hold tactical and strategic advantage?
Bleeding a weaker foe at low cost seems a reasonable tactic - especially if most of your own losses occur among the pawns.
peteruk said...
"Somebody is bound to have a phone or a recording device in there,it is too good a story to let get away."
man,that's mean.
would be an interesing recording.
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