June 17, 2005

I apologize that I didn't join the Durbin the Turban blogswarm yesterday, but to be honest, his remarks comparing our soldiers to "Nazis" literally made me sick!
I'm a little better today and ready to fight!
(I did call my Senators yesterday--Cornyn and Hutchison--to demand that Durtbin be censured and then forced to resign from the Senate.)
Here's the latest action up in Washington:
Durbin rebuked on floor of Senate

The Senate Armed Services Committee chairman yesterday accused Sen. Richard J. Durbin of insulting American soldiers with a "grievous error in judgment" by comparing U.S. treatment of al Qaeda suspects to the crimes of Adolf Hitler, Josef Stalin and Pol Pot, and demanded that the Senate's No. 2 Democrat apologize.
    
The rebuke followed a similar rebuke by the commander of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, who called Mr. Durbin "totally out of line."
    
Republican lawmakers lined up to condemn the remarks as making the war on terror more dangerous for American troops.
[No sh*t, Sherlock!--Jen]
    
Some were particularly angry about the Al Jazeera Arab-language news station, which had posted Mr. Durbin's Nazi comparison made in a Tuesday night floor speech.
[That says it all, doesn't it?
To receive this high praise from our enemy's #1 media organ speaks for itself.--J.T.]
    
"That's horrible. That's our worst nightmare," said Sen. John Cornyn, Texas Republican, about the posting by the network, which the administration accuses of stirring up anti-Americanism.
    
In a Tuesday night speech to the Senate, after reading an e-mail from a FBI agent, Mr. Durbin said: "If I read this to you and did not tell you that it was an FBI agent describing what Americans had done to prisoners in their control, you would most certainly believe this must have been done by Nazis, Soviets in their gulags, or some mad regime -- Pol Pot or others -- that had no concern for human beings. Sadly, that is not the case. This as the action of Americans in the treatment of their prisoners."
[NO, SENATOR DIRTBAG! I WOULD MOST CERTAINLY NOT BELIEVE THAT OUR SOLDIERS AT GITMO SHOULD BE COMPARED TO NAZIS, SOVIET GULAG GUARDS OR HENCHMEN IN CAMBODIA'S KILLING FIELDS!!!]
    
The scolding of Mr. Durbin by Sen. John W. Warner, Virginia Republican, set off a tense debate on the Senate floor that lasted more than an hour.
    
Mr. Warner, joined by Sen. Mitch McConnell, Kentucky Republican, repeatedly chastised Mr. Durbin for likening interrogation techniques at the Pentagon-run prison at U.S. Naval Base Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, to three 20th-century dictators who killed tens of millions of innocents.
    
A clearly uncomfortable Mr. Durbin refused to apologize.
[He needs to be made more than "clearly uncomfortable; I want this "man" to be censured and then forced to submit his resignation from the Senate.
This is unacceptable rhetoric from a U.S. Senator of any or either political party.]

    He blamed the "right-wing media" for the flap,
[Zzzzz. You and Hillary should get together; you'd have lots to talk about.--Jen]
and read his words from Tuesday's Congressional Record to show its "context." He said the real issue was Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld permitting rough interrogation techniques in the war on terror.
[Because of whining from the Left like Durbin's and the MSM's condemnation of interrogation techniques used at Abu Ghraib and Gitmo, our military is now severely restricted as to the methods they can use on these would-be jihadi killers. As it is now, we're limited to turning off the air conditioning and playing Christine Aguilera as "torture" to get these murderers to tell us what we need to know.]
    
But clearly Democrats felt the pressure.
[But this isn't enough--Pump up the volume, America! These are our sons and daughters, wives and husbands, mothers and fathers in uniform past, present and future being maligned and besmirched.]

    Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, Nevada Democrat, came to the floor to defend his chief deputy and to lash out at press reports and the White House, which earlier in the day called Mr. Durbin's remarks "reprehensible."

The noise machine of the far right never stops
[That's right, A$$hole! The Pajamahadeen never sleep, that's why we wear pajamas!]
and it's gotten so much more in operation in the last few weeks," he said. "This is all a distraction by the White House."
[Which is it, A$$hat? New Media or the White House?]
    
But Mr. Reid did not directly address Mr. Durbin's gulag comparison. He was followed by Sen. Robert C. Byrd, West Virginia Democrat, who spent more than 10 minutes recognizing Father's Day.
[Isn't that great? Senator KKK always stays on message when key American values are under attack.]
    
Then Republican Sens. John Kyl of Arizona and Jeff Sessions of Alabama further denounced Mr. Durbin's comments and echoed the calls for an apology.
[Nope. An apology isn't enough!
I want Durtbin to be censured, then forced to resign his Senate seat.
Call his office or email it and let them know you're outraged.]
    
Mr. Warner began the Senate debate with a floor speech in which he read from a front-page account of Mr. Durbin's remarks in yesterday's editions of The Washington Times.
   
 Mr. Warner said, "To equate actions of the men and women of the armed forces ... with regard to their services down there in Guantanamo maintaining the detainees to the genocidal acts of murder and repression of the Nazis, of the Soviet gulag, of Pol Pot, I think is insulting to our men and women in uniform.
    
"The danger that loose comments such as that, comparisons which have no basis in fact or history, could do harm to the men and women serving wherever they are in the world today in this war on terrorism. Because this is the type of thing that is picked up and is utilized by press antithetical to the interest of the United States and [who] distort in their own way.
    "I feel apologies are in order to the men and women of the armed forces."
[BIG TIME.]
    
Mr. Durbin quickly appeared on the Senate floor but offered no apology. He read that part of his speech again.
[Again! The nerve! Because he isn't sorry.]
He said he had read earlier from an FBI's agent letter on harsh treatment of suspected terrorists and had compared such treatment to what would be found under the Soviet gulag, Nazis and Pol Pot.
    
"To suggest I'm criticizing American servicemen, I am not," Mr. Durbin said.
[BULLSHIT, if you'll excuse my French!]
"I don't know who was responsible for this. But the FBI agent made this report ... I was attributing this form of interrogation to repressive regimes.
   
 "Now sadly we have a situation here where some in the right wing media have said that I've been insulting men and women in uniform. Nothing could be further from the truth. I respect men and women in the uniform."
[Really? Since when? This second?
I never bought the Dems' "We support the troops, but not the war." crap in the first place.]
Mr. Warner did not accept the explanation. [Good for him!]
He said the government is now investigating FBI and al Qaeda inmate complaints and it was wrong for Mr. Durbin to read from one agent's unsubstantiated letter before all the evidence is in.
    
"There is no verification of the accuracy of that report," Mr. Warner said. "For you to have come to the floor with just that fragment of a report and then unleashed the words 'the Nazis' ... It seems to be that was a grievous error in judgment."
    
Mr. McConnell then read Mr. Durbin's references to the Nazis, gulags and Pol Pot and asked, "Does the senator from Illinois stand by these words?"
    
Mr. Durbin answered: "In this particular incident that I just read from an FBI agent describing in detail the methods that were used on prisoners, was I trying to say that, 'Isn't this the kind of thing we see from repressive regimes?' Yes."
    
There was criticism of Mr. Durbin outside the Senate.
    
The VFW's commander in chief, John Furgess, said, "The senator was totally out of line for even thinking such thoughts, and we demand he apologize to every man and woman who has ever worn the uniform of our country."
[Damn straight! The sooner the better, but Durbin will continue to be a Dick. Hide and watch.]

    Several Democrats ducked the furor yesterday.
    
Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, New York Democrat, declined to comment, saying she had not heard Mr. Durbin's speech. When a reporter read the passage to her, she declined again.
    
The offices of Democratic Sens. John Kerry of Massachusetts and Joe Lieberman of Connecticut did not answer calls for comment.

I can't believe that Joe Lieberman would countenance Durtbin's kind of talk, but Clinton and Kerry ("...in the manner of Genghis Khan") are probably secretly cheering the Dick.
Durtbin the Turban is Howard Dean with a Senate seat.
I'm sorry, but even blogging this has made me very upset all over again and reaching for the Pepcid and the Excedrin.
It's not even worth it for me to do a thoughtful analysis explaining why it's unfair to "compare" Gitmo and the genocidal régimes of Hitler, Pol Pot and Stalin--You know it's outrageous on its face.
Our guys in uniform are humane and respectful of their fellow human beings, even if it's a jihadi killer captured on the battlefield trying to kill Americans that looks like an oranguatan and acts like a barbarian.
When I think of what the Left demanded when Sen. Trent Lott made a harmless remark at a private birthday party, then I feel perfectly comfortable asking for Durtbin's censure and resignation for "official" remarks he made on the Senate floor as a major "statesman" of this country.
There are 2 ironies at play here also, which Dick the dick Durtbag is too stupid to "get:"
1.) If this "poor, innocent" man who was being interrogated, i.e. the 20th 9/11 hijacker, had made it onto Flight #93 on 9/11, that plane would very likely have hit the Capitol building and killed everyone in it, like pathetic *sshat Durtbin and most of our other Congresspersons and Senators.
2.) Camp Gimto represents the only place on Cuban soil where a prisoner can get humane treatment:
Durtbin conveniently "forgets" to include the horrible torture and summary executions of those who oppose the Castro Régime when he lists those of Hilter, Pol Pot and Stalin.
Durtbin's gotta go.
And he must apologize--and at length--to our troops, past and present.
And publicly declare which side he's on this war, ours or the terrorists' (as if we didn't know already!).
To alleviate my fury for the moment, I bought myself an "I love Gitmo" Tshirt.
Go here to get yourself one, too!
Rush has some fetching Club Gitmo T-shirts, as well!
And because it's clear that apologist numbnuts like Durtbin, Teddy Kennedy, Leahy and "Kos" have "forgotten" what torture really looks like and what true atrocities were committed at history's real hellholes like Abu Ghraib under Saddam, the Jawa Report gives us all a thoughtful reminder: (Warning: Graphic images!)
Kos Says U.S. Torture 'Equal' To that of Saddam Hussein (A comparison)

June 15, 2005

Frist to force filibuster-ending vote

Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist said yesterday he will force another vote to end a filibuster of President Bush's pick to be ambassador to the United Nations at the end of this week, and called Democrats' recent letter requesting information "absurd."
[I love the recent GOP use of the appropriate word for meaningless obstruction and BS: absurd.
It's apt for the Dems mess in the Senate and it applied when President Bush used it to describe AmNASTY Int'l.'s labelling of Gitmo a "gulag."--Jen]
   
 "What's bothering me a little bit now, is that every time we sort of make a step forward, the demands grow and numbers of names being looked at, or shifting goal posts in terms of background information," the Tennessee Republican said. "It makes me think that it isn't really whether or not John Bolton could be a good ambassador representing us as we address the challenging issues at the United Nations, but there is something beyond that."

No, Sen. Frist, the Dems' blocking of the nomination isn't about Bolton's qualification to be UN ambassador and never has been;
it's just sheer obstructionism to President Bush, his Administration and his policies any way the Left and the Dem Libs can.
Thank God President Bush is now openly acknowledging this obstructionism (and not being an optimist about "bipartisanship") and that it is harmful to the security of this country:
Bush hits Democratic 'agenda of the roadblock'

President Bush last night ripped the Democratic Party as do-nothing obstructionists bent on derailing his reform agenda, saying that on issue after issue, Democratic leaders in Congress 'stand for nothing except obstruction, and this is not leadership.'
    
At an evening congressional gala at the Washington Convention Center -- which drew $23 million for House and Senate Republican candidates
[Quite a contrast with Howie Dean's inability to raise $ for the DNC!--J.T.]
and amounted to the kickoff of the 2006 political campaign season -- the president drew standing ovations from Republican faithful as he hammered Democrats for offering no solutions to the nation's most pressing problems.

 'If leaders of the other party have innovative ideas, let's hear them. But if they have no ideas or policies except obstruction, they should step aside and let others lead,' Mr. Bush said to thunderous applause from more than 5,000 supporters.
    
The president, who has spent the past several months seeking consensus on his Social Security reform package and reaching out to Democrats with nonconfrontational rhetoric, said opposition party leaders are pursuing 'the philosophy of the stop sign, the agenda of the roadblock, and our country and our children deserve better.'
   
 'Political parties that choose the path of obstruction will not gain the trust of the American people,' he said at the event dubbed 'the 2005 President's Dinner.'

 Mr. Bush said political parties can take one of two approaches: 'One approach is to lead, to focus on the people's business, to take on the tough problems, and that is exactly what our party is doing.
    
'The other approach is to simply do nothing, to delay solutions, obstruct progress, refuse to take responsibility. Members of the other party have worked with us to achieve important reforms on some issues, yet too often, their leadership prefers to block the ideas of others.'
    
Democrats have filibustered John R. Bolton, Mr. Bush's nominee to become ambassador to the United Nations; blocked his judicial nominees, some for as long as four years; and demanded that he withdraw his idea to create personal Social Security retirement accounts before they will offer their own plan or negotiate in earnest over Republican proposals.
    
Congressional leaders such as House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi of California and Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada have also blocked the president's energy bill, his medical-liability reform legislation and his plan to extend his tax-relief plan beyond its 2010 expiration date.
   
 'We hear 'no' to making tax relief permanent, we hear 'no' to Social Security reform, we hear 'no' to confirming federal judges, we hear 'no' to a highly qualified U.N. ambassador, we hear 'no' to medical-liability reform. On issue after issue, they stand for nothing except obstruction, and this is not leadership,' he said to resounding applause.
[Wish I could have been there to join in this "Hallelujah Chorus!"--Jen]
[...]
Mr. Hastert also lashed out at the agenda of 'the other side of the aisle.'
   
 'It is not enough to be against everything: What are their ideas?' While Republicans are working to meet the needs of the American people, the Democrats are in meetings to figure out what the heck to do with Howard Dean.'
    
To laughter and applause, Mr. Hastert delivered the punch line: 'And between you and I, they might have the tougher challenge.'

Too funny and precious, Leader Hastert!
The Dims deserve Dean; he'll be like a horrible STD--they'll never be able to get rid of him...or Algore...or Billary... or John "the D man" Kerry!
And Heaven be praised that President Bush has finally tackled the Democrat problem in public and up front and stopped pretending to that a "Rodney King" approach was going to work to get America's business done.
I'd say that this signals a directive from the top that the GOP velvet gloves are to come off, slowly, carefully, but surely.
Rep. James Sensenbrenner started the new wave last Friday when he gavelled the 11th committee meeting on the Patriot Act renewal, of which he was the patient and polite Chairman, to a close and then walked out with the gavel, leaving the Dims to sputter into their on again-off again mikes! (Tee-hee-hee!)
Here's the MSNBC BSDNC version, which is very poorly written, BTW:
House Patriot Act hearing abruptly ends


Democrats cut short as GOP chairman walks off with gavel

The Republican chairman walked off with the gavel, leaving Democrats shouting into turned-off microphones at a raucous hearing Friday on the Patriot Act.
The House Judiciary Committee hearing, with the two sides accusing each other of being irresponsible and undemocratic, came as President Bush was urging Congress to renew those sections of the post-Sept. 11 counterterrorism law set to expire in September.

Rep. James Sensenbrenner, R-Wis., chairman of the panel, abruptly gaveled the meeting to an end and walked out, followed by other Republicans. Sensenbrenner declared that much of the testimony, which veered into debate over the detainees at Guantanamo Bay, was irrelevant.
[...]
Democrats asked for the hearing, the 11th the committee has held on the act since April, saying past hearings had been too slanted toward witnesses who supported the law. The four witnesses were from groups, including Amnesty International USA and the American Immigration Lawyers Association, that have questioned the constitutionality of some aspects of the act, which allows law enforcement greater authority to investigate suspected terrorists.

Nadler said Sensenbrenner, one of the authors of the Patriot Act, was “rather rude, cutting everybody off in mid-sentence with an attitude of total hostility.”
[This is just plain not true: Sensenbrenner was polite, firm and conducted the entire meeting according to Robert's Rules of Order!
And if you can't take my word for it, watch it on CSPAN to see for yourself.
[...]
Sensenbrenner’s spokesman, Jeff Lungren, said the hearing had lasted two hours and “the chairman was very accommodating, giving members extra time.”

James Zogby, president of the Arab American Institute, speaking immediately after Sensenbrenner left, voiced dismay over the proceedings. “I’m troubled about what kind of lesson this gives” to the rest of the world, he told the Democrats remaining in the room.
[Um, Mr. Zogby, the "rest of the world" can think what it likes, but I'm worried about my safety and security as an American in wartime here and now and that involves renewing and strengthening the Patriot Act!]

House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi, in a statement, said the hearing was an example of Republican abuse of power and she would ask House Speaker Dennis Hastert to order an apology from Sensenbrenner.

I better not see or hear of Rep. Sensenbrenner doing any such thing!
He behaved as a perfect gentleman and a statesman and as a U.S. Congressperson should.
It's past time to get the Patriot Act renewal out of committee and onto the floor of Congress for an up-or-down vote.
I couldn't be more pleased to see our GOP leaders acting more like leaders and in the cases of both houses of Congress like the Majority Party they were elected by we, the people to be.
My greatest fear, however, is that we'll get the momentum going back on our side right before everyone adjourns for the summer and come fall, we'll be back to square one...Oh, the horror.
The American people, though, have long memories and I don't think they'll forget the way the Dems have blocked, obstructed, bloviated and grandstanded for all of the first 6 months of President Bush's 2nd term.
They shouldn't have been allowed to do this once and I pray Heaven that we don't allow them to do it again.
It's one thing to be gentlemen and gentleladies in Washington, but America's present and future is at stake.
Take the gloves off and keep them off--there's work to do and a war to win!