Partisan Clash, Senate Closed Session, Right Now!

[Chopper Dave]

Turbin Durbin completely ignoring the findings, intelligence, and statements about Hussein's threat to the world made by Clinton, Kerry, Edwards, the UN, France, Britian, the Russians, and countless other entities who believed in the late 90's that Hussein had circumvented the Oil for Food program and was, in secret, reconstituting his weapons programs. ALL OF THESE PEOPLE CONSIDERED HIM A THREAT.... all of them said so publicly.... yet the Left ignores it and instead focuses solely on Bush's thoughts on the lead up to the war. :doh:

The Liberal Left.... the enemy within.

Typical grandiose righty rhetoric.

The fact is, the Senate voted to go to war based on doctored evidence. Hell, I don't think anyone will deny Saddam was a threat. But there were other means to topple him and bigger fish to fry. It's been two years. Quit trying to dupe us. It worked once, and you got what you wanted, but it won't work again.

[@DCGoldPants]

FREEDOM OF SPEECH!!!

Why do you hate freedom Buf?

Why do you have American's and America?

[Chopper Dave]

Heh, except again you are wrong. They have said as much on CNN and MSNBC repeatedly now. If you disagree you may want to go have a talk with Wolf Blitzer and every other person on tv right now, since they are all disagreeing with you.

The only reason the Senate wouldn't go on is if the right acts like the whiny ******* they are and refuse to play ball. In which case, the Republicans are the wrong ones here.

[visionary]

Ok Dave, believe what you want, the rest of the world will do the same....;-)

[Chopper Dave]

Ok Dave, believe what you want, the rest of the world will do the same....;-)

The rest of the world agrees with me.

[Kilmer17]

Iactually like the idea of a closed door session.

It cuts out the media driven grandstanding.

[stevenaa]

They didn't shut anything down. They just made it harder for the Republicans to pander to the brainwashed masses.

Right Chopper. The masses aren't smart enough to participate in the rule of htis land, so shut them off. No elitist attitude there!!!!

[Chopper Dave]

Iactually like the idea of a closed door session.

It cuts out the media driven grandstanding.

Exactly. I don't see why the right is complaining. You get to keep the media pandering out, and it prevents all the right's dirty laundry from airing out in the open.

[visionary]

Democrats force Senate into unusual closed session

Minority leadership demands review of Iraq war intelligence

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Democrats forced the Republican-controlled Senate into an unusual closed session Tuesday, demanding answers about intelligence that led to the Iraq war.

Republicans derided the move as a political stunt.

In a speech on the Senate floor, Democratic leader Harry Reid said the American people and U.S. troops deserved to know the details of how the United States became engaged in the war, particularly in light of the indictment of I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby, Vice President Dick Cheney's chief of staff.

Reid demanded the Senate go into closed session. With a second by Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Illinois, the public was ordered out of the chamber, the lights were dimmed, senators filed to their seats on the floor and the doors were closed. No vote is required in such circumstances.

"The Libby indictment provides a window into what this is really all about, how this administration manufactured and manipulated intelligence in order to sell the war in Iraq and attempted to destroy those who dared to challenge its actions," Reid said before the doors were closed.

Libby resigned Friday after being indicted on charges of obstruction of justice, making false statements and perjury in an investigation by a special prosecutor into the unauthorized leak of a CIA agent's identity.

Democrats contend that the unmasking of Valerie Plame was retribution for her husband, Joseph Wilson, publicly challenging the Bush administration's contention that Iraq was seeking to purchase uranium from Africa. That claim was part of the White House's justification for going to war.

Sen. Trent Lott, R-Mississippi, said Reid was making "some sort of stink about Scooter Libby and the CIA leak."

A former majority leader, Lott said a closed session is appropriate for such overarching matters as impeachment and chemical weapons -- the two topics that last sent the senators into such sessions.

In addition, Lott said, Reid's move violated the Senate's tradition of courtesy and consent. But there was nothing in Senate rules enabling Republicans to thwart Reid's effort.

As Reid spoke, Majority Leader Bill Frist met in the back of the chamber with a half-dozen senior GOP senators, including Intelligence Committee Chairman Pat Roberts, who bore the brunt of Reid's criticism. Reid said Roberts reneged on a promise to fully investigate whether the administration exaggerated and manipulated intelligence leading up to the war.

Copyright 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Find this article at:

http://www.cnn.com/2005/POLITICS/11/01/senate.iraq.ap/index.html

[codeorama]

Iactually like the idea of a closed door session.

It cuts out the media driven grandstanding.

Bingo, maybe they will get something done rather than throwing out BS to the media.

[stevenaa]

The rest of the world agrees with me.

Not something to boast about.

[Chopper Dave]

Right Chopper. The masses aren't smart enough to participate in the rule of htis land, so shut them off. No elitist attitude there!!!!

Many aren't. It's not about that, though. Nothing gets done when the goal is to pander to the masses. This closed sessions prevents that.

[Chopper Dave]

Not something to boast about.

Who's being elitist now?

Believe it or not, America isn't always right. Actually, right now, they are. They're just not correct.

[Kilmer17]

Now it would be funny as hell if the GOP called a vote on the Alito appointment while the doors were shut. The Dems would be stuck.

[stevenaa]

Many aren't. It's not about that, though. Nothing gets done when the goal is to pander to the masses. This closed sessions prevents that.

Coward. Why change your post? Wear your elitism with pride. Maybe when you mature a little with age, you'll understand the falasy in your thinking.

[Chopper Dave]

Now it would be funny as hell if the GOP called a vote on the Alito appointment while the doors were shut. The Dems would be stuck.

Can they?

[ccsl2]

Turbin Durbin completely ignoring the findings, intelligence, and statements about Hussein's threat to the world made by Clinton, Kerry, Edwards, the UN, France, Britian, the Russians, and countless other entities who believed in the late 90's that Hussein had circumvented the Oil for Food program and was, in secret, reconstituting his weapons programs. ALL OF THESE PEOPLE CONSIDERED HIM A THREAT.... all of them said so publicly.... yet the Left ignores it and instead focuses solely on Bush's thoughts on the lead up to the war. :doh:

The Liberal Left.... the enemy within.

Maybe they said it publicly because...hello...it wasn't based on "suspect intelligence" like your favorite president's State of the Union address before the war

[Cskin]

I call Treason on CSKIN for complaining about laws of the land.

yeah...using some nearly forgotten procedure to stop Senate proceedings so as to draw attention to their cause..... which is first and foremost... do anything possible to discredit the Bush Administration because they believe the last two National elections were stolen from them. It's their elitest attitude.... that America voters couldn't possibly vote for someone else other than a Democrat because.... gosh darn it... it's out birth rite to hold the White House and chambers of Congress.

WHy did they do this? Mainly because they didn't get the bombshell indictments against a dozen or so White House officials which would enable them to further the "Corruption" mantra they believed would help them in 06 and 08. Instead, Bush wacked them with Alito's nomination and pulled the rug out from under their momentum.

So... what do they do..... do something that brings the National Leftist media in order to further the drumbeat. :doh:

[Chopper Dave]

Coward. Why change your post? Where your elitism with pride. Maybe when you mature a little with age, you'll understand the falasy in your thinking.

Wow, what an *******. Yeah, let's play the age card, because that's what the big men do.

Quit being a schmuck.

And for the record, I am elitist. I think most of middle America, for example, many people from Texas, have no idea what this country really needs. They just go with what the Repulican machine feeds them.

And learn how to spell.

[visionary]

Cutting out grandstanding VS cutting out the American people....hmmm

kind of surprised to see some of you so willing to give up your freedom on this issue, just so that we won't see grandstanding during the process in which nothing will likely get done anyway.

and again grandstanding will come afterwards anyway and we will be less informed on what really happened, than we would otherwise.

I suppose it might be helpful to keep the session free of media and grandstanding, it might even help keep the senators on track and force them to actually get something done or decided...maybe.... but I am surprised to see some of you so happy about it....

[stevenaa]

This is nothing more than a sad power play by a weak democratic party that has lost, and is continuing to lose power. This is a political ploy to take the focus off of the SCOTUS nomination because they won't be able to block his confirmation. The desperate act of a desperate party that represents less and less of the majority.

[Kilmer17]

Can they?

Well they COULD, but they wont.

The call to a vote can occur at any time. Their are procedures that they follow, but those arent written down as law. So they COULD ignore them entirely and simply call a vote.

Im not saying it would be a good thing, just a funny thing.

[Chopper Dave]

Cutting out grandstanding VS cutting out the American people....hmmm

kind of surprised to see some of you so willing to give up your freedom on this issue, just so that we won't see grandstanding during the process in which nothign will likely get doe anyway.

and again grandstanding will come afterwards anyway and we will be less informed on what really happened, than we would otherwise.

I suppose it might be helpful to keep the session free of media and grandstanding, it might even help keep the senators on track and force them to actually get something done or decided...maybe.... but I am surprised to see some of you so happy about it.

Freedom isn't free. It costs a buck-o-five.

[Larry]

I'm assuming this is a political stunt. (My reasoning: Everything the Senate does is a political stunt.)

But I have trouble figuring out what the D's hope to gain from it. With closed doors, all they've accomplished is a lot of media speculation, and an even better job of diverting the media away from the indictments than Bush's nomination was.

Why throw the red flag when you're winning (for the moment)?

[Chopper Dave]

Well they COULD, but they wont.

The call to a vote can occur at any time. Their are procedures that they follow, but those arent written down as law. So they COULD ignore them entirely and simply call a vote.

Im not saying it would be a good thing, just a funny thing.

It doesn't matter. They're going to confirm him anyway. Hell, I'd rather have Alito than someone, liberal or conservative, that isn't qualified.