Keith Olbermann calls out Richard Shelby for the blanket hold he put on 70 of President Obama's nominees unless he gets the earmarks he wants for his state. Anyone else notice the near silence on this issue during the bobble head shows this past Sunday? Very little mention of this happening. If a Democrat did something like this the Republicans would be screaming like banshees.
OLBERMANN: And now the second of tonight`s quick comments. I`ll handle this one. Once again, your Senate to the high bidder. "Inaction on these nominees," the senator said, "is a disservice to the American people exacted by members of the opposing party who," quote, "choose to block the process for political gain."
The complaining senator was Richard Shelby of Alabama. The year was 2005. The nominees were President Bush`s. The opposition senators choosing to block the process for political gain were Democrats. But now another senator is holding up President Obama`s nominees, choosing to block the process for political gain. This other senator has put a blanket hold on 70 to 80 of them, from appointees at Homeland Security to appointees to the Department of Justice Intel division, because he wants, of all things, an earmark.
A 35 billion dollar contract for tankers is going to the American firm Boeing. This senator is delaying counter-terrorism appointees because he wants the contract taken from Boeing and given instead to the makers of Airbus, a firm based in France. Airbus just happens to have assembly plants in the senator`s state. It just happens to have given that senator at least 34,000 dollars in personal and PAC donations since 2000. It just happens to use the lobbying firm that employs the senator`s former legislative director.
The senator deliberately keeping American intelligence under-staffed so he can get 35 million dollars to go to a foreign company from whose teat he sucks is Senator Shelby of Alabama.
The system of senatorial holds has outlived its usefulness. So have this senator for rent hypocrites, like Richard Shelby.
