Political Theater

[Rex Kickass]

So Bill Frist reads the Preamble to the Constitution on the floor of the Senate Monday and blames the minority Democrats for tying the hands of a Republican Congress from actually doing anything. The Link, with a link to the video.

 

Senator Harry Reid (D-NV) and Dick Durbin (D-IL) respond.

 

For more than 3 years, this Congress, which has been given the name of the "do-nothing Congress,'' has turned a blind eye to the intractable war in Iraq, ignoring the administration's many mistakes and allowing it to stay on a failed course," said Reid. "Here we are, with 6 days left in the 109th Congress, and the Republicans, who control the House and Senate and the White House, have not held one hearing -- not one -- into the President's wartime failures.

 

During the Civil War, President Lincoln was faced continually with oversight hearings by his Congress. Of course, we know during World War II, there were a number of commissions. The most famous was that conducted by Senator Harry Truman of Missouri, which led to his becoming Vice President. Some say, but for that he would not have been chosen as Vice President.

 

What was the Truman Commission? It was to determine what was going on with World War II. Was money being wasted? Were troop levels right? Korean war hearings were also held, and the same for the Vietnam war. But for this war, none--even though this war has taken longer than it took to settle the differences in the European theater in World War II. Soon it will be the same amount of time that we were able to beat Japan.

 

This Republican Congress has wasted 20 months on horse slaughtering; the Schiavo case, dealing with someone's personal relationship, which should not even have been before this body; gay marriage; the nuclear option; flag burning; repealing the estate tax," said Reid. "But they could not find a day for some time to look at the President's mistakes, missteps, and misconduct, which have hurt American security and plunged Iraq into a civil war -- not a day.

 

Mr. Durbin: Will the Senator yield for a question?

 

Mr. Reid: I will be happy to yield for a question.

 

Mr. Durbin: Can the Senator refresh my memory? Was Mr. Bremmer the recipient of a gold medal or something from the President? Didn't he receive some high decoration or medal for his performance in Iraq?

 

Mr. Reid: The answer is, yes, he received that. I assume one would expect that from somebody who had a throne while he was over there.

 

Mr. Durbin: Isn't it also true that George Tenet, who was responsible for the intelligence that was so bad that led us into the war in Iraq, got a medal from the President the same day?

 

Mr. Reid: That is true.

 

Mr. Durbin: Did Michael Brown with FEMA receive a gold medal from the White House before he was dismissed?

 

Mr. Reid: I don't think he did. Even though he was doing a heck of a job, I don't think he obtained a medal from the White House.

 

Mr. Durbin: Apparently, these gold medals were being awarded for incompetence. They missed Mr. Brown, but they did give one to Mr. Bremmer. Will the Senator yield for another question?

 

Mr. Reid: I will be happy to.

 

Mr. Durbin: I am trying to recall the exact number -- it was in the billions of dollars -- that we gave to the President for the reconstruction of Iraq; is that not true?

 

Mr. Reid: It started out at $18 billion. But as the Senator from Illinois will remember, part of that money, stacks of one-hundred-dollar bills, was used by some of the contractors who were sent over there to play football games -- some of these same people.

 

Mr. Durbin: It is also true, is it not, that the Democratic policy conference has been holding hearings -- in fact, I think it is the only agency on the Hill holding hearings -- on this waste and abuse, this profiteering and corruption at the expense of American taxpayers and even, equally important -- more importantly -- at the expense of our troops?

 

Mr. Reid: I say to my friend, this war is approaching 3 1/2 years, and there has not been a single congressional oversight hearing on the conduct of the war. This war has now cost us, the American taxpayers, about $325 billion. There has not been a single congressional oversight hearing on the war.

 

Mr. Durbin: I ask the Senator from Nevada if he might comment on this as well: Are we not in a situation where the President has told us that he wants to "stay the course'' in Iraq, and Vice President Cheney, when asked a week ago, said he wouldn't change a thing in the way they have done this war in Iraq? Is it very clear that unless there is a change in leadership in this town soon, we are going to continue down this disastrous course, exposing our soldiers to danger every single day, their families to the anxiety of separation, and the taxpayers of this country to billions and billions of dollars more being spent that don't make us any safer?

 

Mr. Reid: I say to my friend, I spent the weekend reading a book. I did other things. I spent a lot of time on an airplane. The book is called "Fiasco,'' written by a man named Thomas Ricks who has spent his life covering the military. He has written books on the military. I don't know his political persuasion. This book is on the best seller's list of the New York Times.

 

In this book, he talks in such detail about what has happened as a result of the incompetence of this administration to our valiant fighting men and women over there. I recommend the book to anyone. It is a searing indictment of this administration.

 

The war in Iraq has been a diversion from the real war on terror. But this administration and this do-nothing Congress are content to stay the course, even as it makes America less safe and Iraq less stable. We need a new direction. This Congress has failed.

[Balta1701]

Good ol Rexie...always a step behind...

[Rex Kickass]

I just promoted it to its own thread, thank you. I knew you posted it the whole time.

[southsider2k5]

The irony is always that if you aren't doing what I want you to be doing, you are doing nothing. The repubs have had their laundry list of stuff they have been trying to pass, but because it doesn't fit the agenda of the dems, they are tying the hands of congress, and on the other side of the aisle the Dems have a whole different list of stuff they want to do, but because it doesn't fit the agenda of the Repubs they are a "do nothing congress" Please. Its just more of the same old politicking for the party bases. I am sure if you look hard enough you can find some long winded speech about the Dems allowing the murder of babies, the undermining of our military, the enabling of terrorists, or anything else you want to find that fits the exact same type of arguement.

 

BTW, thanks for freeing this up from "hiding" Rex.

[Rex Kickass]

Hey, I just loves myself some political theater.

 

And it was in response to a speech where the majority leader of the Senate proclaimed this a "do nothing Congress."

[NUKE_CLEVELAND]

The irony is always that if you aren't doing what I want you to be doing, you are doing nothing. The repubs have had their laundry list of stuff they have been trying to pass, but because it doesn't fit the agenda of the dems, they are tying the hands of congress, and on the other side of the aisle the Dems have a whole different list of stuff they want to do, but because it doesn't fit the agenda of the Repubs they are a "do nothing congress" Please. Its just more of the same old politicking for the party bases. I am sure if you look hard enough you can find some long winded speech about the Dems allowing the murder of babies, the undermining of our military, the enabling of terrorists, or anything else you want to find that fits the exact same type of arguement.

 

BTW, thanks for freeing this up from "hiding" Rex.

 

 

A congress that does nothing is far less dangerous than a congress that does too much IMHO.