July 23, 2007
Sunday Snapshot
Sen. Russ Feingold was on "Meet the Press" where he announced he plans a resolution to censure Pres. Bush:
Feingold: "I'm shocked by the administration, in particular the president's response to the November election. Usually, when presidents are repudiated in elections, they say, 'Well, maybe I ought to reassess.' Instead, he did just the opposite. He did this surge, which went contrary to the will of the American people. I think we need to do something serious in terms of accountability. And that's why I will be shortly introducing a censure resolution of the president and the administration."
Asked if he will censure anyone else: "Potentially yes. I think when it comes to Iraq, obviously the vice president. Vice President Cheney has been one of the worst actors in American history in this situation. There may be others."
NBC's Russert: "Do you think the American people will look on this saying, 'Here go the Democrats just trying to create something sensational by censuring the president rather than trying to solve the problem of Iraq?'"
Feingold: "What I am proposing is a moderate course, not tying up the Senate and the House with an impeachment trial, but simply passing resolutions that make sure that the historical record shows the way they have weakened our country, weakened our country militarily and against al Qaeda, and weakened our country's fundamental document, the Constitution. I think that's a reasonable course and does not get in the way of our normal work."
Asked if he's talked to the Dem leadership about this: "I have."
Asked if they're supportive: "We haven't drafted it yet. We're going to work cooperatively with whoever wants to work with me."
Asked if he has GOP support: "We'll find out."
Asked when he'll be introducing it: "Shortly. In a few days" (NBC, 7/22).
Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL): "It's appropriate for us to take the censure resolution up. It is short of impeachment, but it's an important debate" ("Late Edition," CNN, 7/22).
HARRY REALLY DOESN'T NEED THIS HEADACHE
Senate Maj. Leader Harry Reid was on "Face the Nation":
Reid: "The war in Iraq is the most serious issue facing the American people. The soldiers have done their job. ... It's time to bring them home now. ... That's what the debate was all about, and the Republicans blocked that. I have to say this ... there were a number of valiant Republicans. Olympia Snowe is going to be on your show later. I admire and respect her so much because she broke from the pack and voted with us as did a number of senators. We need more Olympia Snowes, people who are willing to do the right thing."
More: "I offered on many occasions, not one, two, three, four occasions, many occasions said, let's vote on all the Iraq amendments, all of them, and have a simple majority for them. The Republicans wouldn't let us. ... It's one of the myths that's been established by this Republican spin machine and coming from the White House that we wouldn't allow votes on this. We wanted votes on this, every one of them."
On Feingold's proposal to censure Bush: "I'm sure Russ Feingold will try to find a way to offer that amendment. The Republicans won't let us vote on it. They'll block it."
More: "Frankly, we have so many other things to do. The president already has the mark of the American people that he's the worst president we've ever had, and I don't think we need a censure resolution in the Senate to prove that. ... At this stage, Russ is going to have to make his case as to why we should do that rather than do our appropriation bills, finish the defense authorization bill, Homeland Security appropriation bill" (CBS, 7/22).
BUT McCONNELL IS ENJOYING THE CHANGE IN SUBJECT
Senate Min. Leader Mitch McConnell was on "Late Edition":
On Feingold's censure proposal: "Today marks the 200th day of the new Congress. And I'm kind of stunned that Senator Feingold just recommended on the heels of the all-night theater of Tuesday night gives you a sense ... of why this Congress now has a 14 percent approval rating. We think it's the lowest in the history of polling. All they do is have Iraq votes and investigations. On the legislative side about all we've been able to accomplish is to keep the lights on in the Capitol, 19 or 20 post office renamings, and we have passed a very important troop funding bill, thank goodness. ... Senator Feingold's suggestions are right in league with the all-night session the other night, which the American people are looking at with disbelief."
On Iraq: "Most of the Democrats, regretfully, have already made up their mind. They're not going to pay any attention to General Petraeus's report. They want us to leave tomorrow with all the dangers that that envisions. ... We know, the one thing we know for sure, is the decision to get on offense in the war on terror, to go into Afghanistan, to go onto Iraq, has protected the homeland, the United States of America for almost six years. That part we know has been a huge success" (CNN, 7/22).
WHERE'S JACK BAUER WHEN YOU NEED HIM?
DNI Mike McConnell was on "Meet the Press":
Asked the most serious facing the U.S.: "The most serious threat is that the plotters that are being observed will be successful in penetrating our defenses and conducting an attack that would result in mass casualties. Their intent is to effect an attack with mass casualties. A secondary attempt, attempt would be political or infrastructure targets to even include economic targets that would have long-lasting impact."
Asked if they have nuclear capability: "They have not achieved nuclear, based on our current understanding. The intent is either chemical, biological, nuclear radiological or even nuclear to include a nuclear yield. I would add what we see currently is primarily a focus on explosives, explosives that can generate a large explosion but they're put together with commercially available material."
More: "There are sleeper cells tied directly to al Qaeda inside the United States. So we have the strategic warning, not the specific tactical warning, but we know their intent" (NBC, 7/22).
WH Homeland Security Adviser Fran Townsend made the Sunday show rounds:
Asked her gut feeling on the state of things: "We don't have to rely on my gut feeling or my intuition or anybody else's. We have men and women around the world collecting the intelligence we need in a very focused way to allow us then to take targeted action to defeat those threats. And so while I'm sympathetic -- I think what Secretary Chertoff was trying to do was communicate that, without revealing sources and methods -- it may have been an unartful way of saying it, but what he was talking about is what you see in the NIE, and that is we're in this heightened period of threat" ("Late Edition," CNN, 7/22).
On al Qaeda in Iraq: "Al Qaeda in Iraq is not a distraction. ... It's actually a critical enabler. ... This is part of bin Laden's plan to try and extend the influence of al Qaeda" ("Fox News Sunday," 7/22).
BEST OF THE REST
Sen. Evan Bayh (D-IN): "We need a middle ground where we keep enough forces there to fight al Qaeda but to begin to draw back so they can't use us as a recruiting post around the Islamic world, they don't use us to undermine moderate Arab regimes that we have to rely on, and that we do a better, more effective job in focusing on those areas that are the central front, Afghanistan and Pakistan" ("Fox News Sunday," 7/22).
Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-ME): "Both leaders have to come together to resolve these questions so that it doesn't look like the United States Senate simply is a matter of process and procedures and partisanship and politics to no end."
More: "I would hope that the Senate could come together in this question, look at the various issues. And in addition to that, the president needs to understand that September 15 is going to be a serious deadline for change in our mission in Iraq. Frankly, I think the leaders, both the houses and both branches, should sit down and begin to negotiate a resolution and a compromise in anticipation to General Petraeus' report on September 15" ("Face the Nation," CBS, 7/22).
ROUNDTABLE ROUNDUP
The "Meet the Press" roundtable discussed Feingold's censure resolution and the war in Iraq.
The "Fox News Sunday" roundtable discussed WH '08 and the Senate's all-nighter:
Weekly Standard's Kristol: "Elizabeth Edwards is more interesting than her husband. Bill Clinton, with all due respect to Senator Clinton, is more interesting than Hillary Clinton. And I am a fan of Michelle Obama. So you know, you guys should host that ... the Democratic spouses debate. Mrs. Kucinich would be excellent."
FNC's Hume, on F. Thompson's abortion lobbying work: "This is not abortion scandal, in my view. This is a billing scandal. And what I think this tells us is the extent ... to which clients are sometimes billed for work done by the people they engage -- lawyers, lobbyists and the rest -- that is so insignificant to the person doing it that they don't even remember. I believe Thompson didn't remember this. And I don't believe he did very much for that abortion group."
The "Late Edition" roundtable talked about the Senate all-nighter and WH '08 [EMILY GOODIN].
Posted at 08:30 AM
Comments
Voters- give some thought. I am a WW2 combat vet
(Pacific). Disabled and in my eighties. When you vote for the President in 08, give some thought to Mrs. Clinton. We all know the ex president Bill is the leader in that union. The question
WHO WILL BE THE PRESIDENT IN THE WHITE HOUSE.?
BILL WILL BE, THINK ABOUT IT. WHAT IS THE NEXT STEP? King and Queen? it's happened before in World history. How do you get a Dictator? Vote for Clintons and find out.
Gampa | 07.23.07 09:22 AM
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We have already found out what happens when we vote for a dictator during the last six years. Infact its been worse than dictatorship. And now if you want to continue the dictatorship then vote for Giuliani, Romney or Thomson. These three jokers fit the shoes perfectly!
Clinton had his personal problem but atleast he governed very well, brought prosperity to the country and brought well deserved respect to America around the world.
tm | 07.23.07 12:35 PM
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By the way, lets add the following to the spouses debate that Weekly Standard's Kristol is suggesting.
** Rudy's two previous wives one of them his own cousin!
** McCain's first and current wife
** Thomson's trophy wife who is four years younger than Thomson own daughter!
** Flipflopper Romney's wife who donated to planned parenthood.
** And Gingrich's previous wives and Vitter's wife and his prostitues can join as guest appearances.
SpouseDebate | 07.23.07 12:40 PM
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