Sen Jim Webb's 30 Seconds to Stop Bush
CNN follows Senator Jim Webb (D-VA) to work this Thanksgiving holiday just to bang the gavel so that technically the Senate is not in recess to make sure Bush can't slip any more of his crooks and cronies by us with more recess appointments. Among the likely candidates this move thwarts is the homophobic Dr. James Holsinger as Surgeon General and/or the election engineering Hans A. von Spakovsky to a spot on the Federal Election Commission.
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It's worth remembering not only the more well known in-your-face past Bush recess appointments like John Bolton, Swift boat hack Sam Fox, and anti-civil rights judge Charles Pickering. In just his first six years in office, President Bush made 171 recess appointments (pdf) including a controversial pick with Otto Reich so he could continue his dirty tricks south of the border, a spot at the pentagon for a great guy like Eric Adelman, a DOL spot for Eugene Scalia (yes, the son of that Scalia), a cushy ambassadorship for ex-girlfriend April H. Foley, and an important one as a treat for C. Boyden Gray, Bush's judicial bulldog on the Hill.
It's nice to finally see the Democrats step up and follow through with stopping Bush from running roughshod right over them. This is one of the small things they can do that makes a real difference. Thank you Sens Webb and Reid.
with all due respect...youzz guyzz betta keep on duin youzz job.thank you.and have a Happy Turkeyday.......
It is the least the Democrats can do and never let it be said the Demecrats didn't do the least they could do...
This is pretty stupid, because in the end we aprove these cronies anyways. And that includes Mukasey who denied that waterboarding is torture.
This is a pretty goofy thing for Senators to have to do but in light of what Bush has done in the past I'd like to thank Webb and all the other Senators that are pulling an extra shift to safeguard us against what amount to sneak attacks by Bush.
Good going! Erect a dam at every turn so that Bush can't steal more of our rights. The nominated surgeon general is a disgrace to the medical profession. Medicine may not be pure science but it also isn't total intolerance and bigotry.
DUhhh...Isn't it a bit late in the game to "Stop Bush"? The damage has been done and the...[expletive deleted]...is just going to retire on an incomparable pension and that will be that...I mean to say, "We The People"? How quaint...What is more important is [poopie, caca site monitor] When will you grow up? This is the magnificence that was the United States of America
Pretty sad when we has to resort to this tactic to keep King Bush from doing whatever he damn well pleases.... ;(
I'll tell you who I feel sorry for: the staffers who aren't political but rather low-level bureaucrats who need to show up while the Senate is in 'session' for about a half minute of time. The guy I have in mind was the dude standing on the floor of the Senate while Senator Webb was at the chair. Who was that guy?
I loved the way Sen. Webb played it. Maybe Weak Kneed Reid is scheduled to have knee replacement surgery during the holidays.
God I hope so.
Happy Thanksgiving to all at C&L.
Peace.
Wow, watching this made me feel pretty good, like watching a group of Democratic cells starting to form into a back-bone. Web has always been good and I'm glad he is there, he may be a junior Senator, but we need more like him. The tadpoles are turning into invertebrates.
Human @ 9:
Maybe for Christmas one of Reids kids will send him to the doctor for a testosterone injection.
BRealistic @ 7:
heh...this is only a pebble in the road as far as Dubya is concerned. He's gotten his way all along...why stop now?
It's just too bad that while the Senate is open, we can't get to some impeachment hearings on the person making all of this necessary.
Stephen @ 8:
Look at it this way. That guy your so fukin worried about ain't in Baghdad, American troops haven't raped his wife/shot his cousin/or run over his daughter with a Humvee so he's doing' pretty damn good.
Wouldn't you agree.
CD @ 11:
I'm willing to give him a personal injection. Pelosi too. I'd havta double bag 'em though.
rapture bunny prevention rules
nyguy @ 3:
Mukasey is definitely a crony, and a top-level neocon. But having an actual AG crony instead of a lower level 'acting' crony has some advantages, mainly for the committees.
They are going to have to fork low-level cronies onto the barbee to keep the uppercrust traitors from going pink under questioning. And that's to the good as well.
So far, 21 House R have announced their retirements. If we can replace some Senators as well, we have a chance of a 111th Congress with teeth.
this IS affirmative. I just don't want schumer feinstein or emmanuel negotiating any 'compromises'.
jim @ 13:
impeachment is the house's job, the trial is in the senate.
Human @ 15:
Maybe we should start a online campaign.........or we could just laugh at 'em.
I wish he could use that gavel to bang Bush upside his stupid head to put an end to this kind of shit.
Ha ha. Thanks Jim. Fuck you, George.
Happy Thanksgiving everybody.
The Democrats want to be in town to approve these crooks and liars that Bush has nominated for appointment. The Democrats ALWAYS approve Bush's crooked nominees. Do the Democrats really think they are fooling America? Oh that's right, Americans will fall for anything. And always do.
I was very proud of the democrats today. Finally!!!!
BRealistic @ 7:
Ok, sure we threw the baby out with the bathwater but i saved the rubber ducky!
kerplunk @ 23:
The Democrats rejected Bolton and Miers (sp).
jim @ 13:
Hey! Can Webb impeach him all by himself??? I say go for it!! I'm behind that!
Two weeks vacation?? How come they get two weeks off for Thanksgiving? Most Americans, if they are lucky, get two days off.
Thank you Senator Webb and Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family.
*
toomuchsun @ 28:
Because they define their work schedule, their salaries, their perks, their vacation time and what is and what is not on the table.
OMG - CNN actually providing some historical background to current events! Nice work. I hope it doesn't start and stop here.
Thank you, Sen. Webb.
Now contact your congressperson while they are enjoying their holiday and tell them no more media consolidation and to get us out of Iraq ASAP, and you might want to throw in the fact that Bombing Iran will be a very bad idea as well.
Good on ya' Sen Webb...thank you sir!
xoites defends Constitution @ 30:
Some of those 20 R Rep. resignations are because the Speaker has forced them to work 5 day weeks, for the first time in years.
The Speaker put impeachment off the table because we don't have enough votes to complete such a process. That's not defining -- that's acknowledging reality.
Paul in LA @ 34:
Unfortunately that does not cheer me up. It only tells me that our system is broken. In America if you stack the deck, you win. That was not the vision.
So now we're supposed to REALLY believe that they are trying, right? I'm not buying it for a second. This is a PR move. Bush has gotten every single thing he wanted since the dems have been in power. If he wants those cronies to be appointed, they will be and the dems will kneel like the scared little wussies they are and give him whatever he wants.
CD @ 26:
Bolton was appointed during a recess appointment. Miers' nomination went down because the republicans didn't like her - had nothing to do with the dems.
Even IF these were two true examples of a time when dems actually blocked nominations, the dems have let far too many REALLY bad nominations get through - e.g. Alito. That was most probably the most damaging appointment bush has been able to score. That guy is a nutjob.
This news is better than green turkey's!
Hype-Jersey @ 37:
The world of politics is complex and we don't know everything that's going on on capital hill.
The 'No Recess' rule is one small step for Congress, one giant leap for the US.
In order to thwart the bushies, it must be maintained until inauguration day, 2009.
But the first order of business for the next administration is not going to be health care, or tax reform, or social security....It's going to be to undo all that Bush has done in the past(then) eight years. That'll take care of the Iraq war, taxes, help the deficit, help the dollar, help the adherence to law, help restore these United States, help everything.
And establish Bush's legacy as 'The Undone President'.
Enough is enough.
Bush must stop these recess appointments. He, as the leader of our Nation, must understand that if there are questions, they must be answered. This administration has operated as if they had Carte Blanche. That is not how it is done in a Democracy.
Under the republican Congress Bush did as he pleased. The majority in Congress gave him ultimate power. That was wrong on their part. There are to be a set of checks and balances that each party must adhere to.
Absolute power corrupts absolutely. It sure did. A congress that was controlled by the republicans, saw the MOST scandals in history. This corruption was led by the Bush administration. This was an injustice to the American people.
A Nation must be fair and balanced, not one sided. When that happens the nation fails to be a democracy and becomes a dictatorship.
I have felt horse-whipped by this administration. They have not been fair with the American people. But, I don't think that this administration will change its course now.
The American public has been rendered submissive under this administration. We are a BATTERED society, made that way by design.
The NEW Congress must show this tyrant, that there are rules that must be followed. The deeds that this administration wants must not go through the DARK of night. Every appointment must be justified by the Congress. Not just because the powers that be want it.
There have been many bills passed in our Congress while it was in the republican majority that is not in favor of the American public.
This administration would like to see America held under a Corporate Power. But America is made up of people. We are not a business and we should not be dealt with in that manner.
This president has to take a step back and remember that there are PEOPLE in this country.
The GOP has got to be pissed. I wish I could have seen their hissy fits when they heard what Webb was doing.
What exactly is "so called" about Bush's recess appointments? Where do these TV weirdos get their BushCo apologies?
Still, it wasn't as bad as Gloria Borger's hatchet job on BushCo's outing of Plame. "Nobody cares" indeed...sounded like a Nixonite.
And he made out he was picked to do it as he was bottom of the pack .......... stopping Bush carrying on should be #1 priority and a bloody honour !!
I am dismayed by his attitude that he was forced to do it by others choice, though glad in a roundabout way it's happening.
Gejo @ 41:
Gejo, I'm presuming a bit, but I don't think you understand:
1. In the Bush administration, as in all tyrannies, 'More' is not 'Enough'.
2. Their lexicon does not include 'Fair', 'Just', or 'Law'.
3. 'PEOPLE' are considered 'SUBJECTS'.
4. If you tell them they 'Must' do something, especially because it is 'right', or 'good', or 'constitutional', you are subject to being shot before trial.
Good luck in your quest, and a happy 'Habeus Corpus Thanksgiving' to you.
Thanks to SENATOR WEBB and a happy Thanksgiving to you and your Family. The DEMS., have given us some hople they showed us they can stand-up now lets see if they can walk and chew gum at the same time.
i for one say bravo, finally a simple way to derail the boy king's republican railroad.
and let us not forget that the recess appointment of swift boat fund-er fox came after the white house pulled his nomination at the eleventh hour when it became apparent that he did not have enough votes in the senate to be appointed the legitimate way.
As noted, to avoid being considered on recess, the Senate is now meeting on every day following three consecutive days off. Tuesday’s session was for no more than 30 seconds.
I have proposed to my boss that, during my 3-week vacation, I come in for a short time every fourth day so that the 3 weeks will not be counted as a vacation.
homer www.altara.blogspot.com
Holsinger "came under attack" for views he expressed on homosexuality? How about something like 'critics expressed their concern over an apparently homophobic agenda?'
Those damn left extremists(eg. 70% or more of the population of America), just can't stop viciously attacking honorable potential appointess of this law-abiding, constitution-respecting president.
Gejo @ 41:
Bush is incapable of considering the rights of others. This would require him to grow up...oh and try to develop a conscience while he's at it...........
I wish Senator Webb had answered that he was proud to be chosen to conduct the Senate over the TG holiday. I appreciate his sense of humor, but would prefer more seriousness by all the Dems. bush is wrecking this country to pieces and recess appointments are part of the trouble.
OT, good grief, was that a CNN anchor or did they drag a model wannabe off the street and have her read the teleprompter. One more confirmation in my mind why TV "news" is so worthless. Same goes for Wolf and his half-assed coverage of bush's recess appointments.
Thanks Senator Webb.
this really is a good thing....I just wonder how long their willing to keep it up.
I was surprised to read how simple it is to meet the requirements needed to keep the
US Senate in session. Why the dems didn't do this on a regular basis to keep all of
Bush's polictical hacks from getting appointed needs to be explained by them. This process is so simple their isn't any legitimate explanation they could give. A few senators, show up for a few seconds every 3 days. Wow!!!!!!!!
reading some of comments here, it is clear that us progressives will never ever be happy.
Just for once, stop with the insults to the Dems and appreciate what they have done. This was a good move.
Don't leave Bush HOME ALONE. God knows what trouble he'd get into.. Thank god Webb's there to babysit.
Bob in Thailand @ 10:
So why did the Dems send in a *junior* senator? Don't you think that maybe it might have demonstrated, oh I don't know, LEADERSHIP to send in a ranking senator? As in to demonstrate the *SYMBOLIC* importance/value of cockblocking the recess appointments?
If Reid can't be bothered to have his driver bring the town car around for ten minutes every three fucking days to get up in Bush's face even a little, then what's he even there for?
While I welcome this I feel like congress is just doing it for show as they will approve and appoint ANYBODY that King George puts up.
IMPEACH THE MOTHERFUCKERS AND YOU BASTARDS WILL BE ABLE TO TAKE YOUR EXCESSIVELY LONG VACATIONS WITHOUT HAVING TO DO THIS!
huricane @ 58 "So why did the Dems send in a *junior* senator? Don't you think that maybe it might have demonstrated, oh I don't know, LEADERSHIP to send in a ranking senator?
The 'ranking' Senators are all Republicans.
John Kerry, for instance, after 30 years is still the 'junior' Senator from Massachusetts, so the term 'junior' does not mean 'lesser.'
Bravo, Senator Webb!
No more scuzzballs installed as recess appointments.
Glad to see the democrats finally grow some. They should block every Bush recess appointment from now until that criminal is out of office. God knows they have the time. Let Uncle Jay explain it to you.
http://www.funnieststuff.net/viewmovie.php?id=575
huricane @ 58:
Um, Reid is most likely in Nevada as every member of congress is most likely home with family. It is T-day afterall. Webb lives minutes away in NoVA. The most junior Senator who lives the closest gets the duty. That's how it should be.
Paul in LA @ 34:
With all due respect sir, I must say BULLSHIT! The democrats could easily put this on track for trial in the Senate. The chimp is guilty of so many crimes, that these bungling incompertent morons would go over the edge and convict themselves. Or, the american people would be so outraged when they found out exactly what these scumbags have done, that if the repukes did not force him out, they would all be signing their own political death warrants. Either way, the people benefit.
It would also cause many more people to take notice of the current political process, which would help to diffuse much of the MSM's GOP friendly half-assed news coverage.
And even if they did fall a few votes short of conviction in the Senate, opening the light of day upon the criminality of this administration would strengthen the constitution, and serve as notice to future administrations that might be considering a fascist approach to government.
Finally, this is ultimately about truth and our country. Just because you can't score a political homerun" for your side, does not mean you should let psycopaths like Bush/Cheney get away with their crimes. It should be done if it is the right thing to do. And believe me, it is!
Im really really sorry, but cant you people see this stunt for what it is?
This is complete BS. These politicians have had AMPLE time to "stand up to bush" - and they've done NOTHING. NOT A FRIGGING THING. FOR YEARS.
Again Im sorry, maybe this guy is straight up, but I smell the same policial BS that is pushed in our faces every election season.
Im not falling for it this time, not from a democrat, not from a republican. Not from ANYONE.
VOTE ALL ENCUMBANTS OUT. PERIOD.
They all suck, and they are all as bad as bush.
THey all deserve to be fired. And most of them probably deserve prison.
No more BS for me.
Get by me once, Pilgrim: Shame on YOU!
Get by me 190 times: Shame on me, shame on me, shame on me, shame on me, shame on me.................
Fallout911 @ 59:
Yeah, it's a day late and a dollar short.
YES! GO DEMS! Don't stop now, let this be a start!
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