Mitch McConnell Introduces More GOP FISA Obstructions

  I'm not even going to comment of this sub-human piece of gutter garbage. I'll let you read about it yourselves.

       DailyKos

by mcjoan 

Mon Feb 04, 2008 at 03:22:50 PM PST

McConnell and Reid are on the Senate floor trading verbal blows over the most recent obstructionist move by the Republicans. They have tied up what was supposed to have been quick consideration of the economic stimulus package by invoking 30 more hours of debate, using the argument that they got it too late to fully consider it. They're actually raising hell about low-income heating assistance being "slipped" into the bill. Heartless bastards.

Reid is as steamed as I've ever seen him, and is actually sounding like us in talking about the important constitutional issues and executive overreach on FISA. He's arguing that McConnell is using this stall tactic to try to run out the clock on the 15 day extension of FISA, thereby trying to get us back to the position we were in last August, forcing through a bad bill under strict time constraints.

This means that we are pretty unlikely to see any votes on FISA before Thursday. Which means that we could get past Super Tuesday and perhaps have a full Dem caucus in DC when the votes happen.

Update: dsmilev sums it up perfectly in the comments:

"Republicans want to let poor people freeze so they can protect multi-billion-dollar companies from their own lawbreaking."

   Against my better judgement, I live in the state of Kentucky and that embarrassment of a Senator, McConnell, is my representative. That is enough to make one throw-up. This asshole needs to be removed from office come November, so let's get with the program and nail his sorry ass to the wall!

Technorati Tags: FISA, illegal wiretaps, telecom amnesty, Mitch McConnell

Why Have a Congress?

  That is something that many of us have been asking ourselves since the latest edition of the peoples representatives came into being back in November, 2006. But it seems that the people of the United States have had a problem with our Congress way before then, as noted by Paul Craig Roberts, a former Assistant Secretary of the Treasury under the Reagan Administration and was once an editor and columnist for the Wall Street Journal,Business Week, and other things.

"In truth, Congress gave up its law-making powers to the executive branch during the New Deal. For three-quarters of a century, the bills passed by Congress have been authorizations for executive branch agencies to make laws in the form of regulations. The executive branch has come to the realization that it doesn't really need Congress. President Bush appends his own 'signing statements' to the authorizations from Congress in which the President says what the legislation means. So what is the point of Congress?" Source

  It has been bad enough to begin with, having a spineless Congress even when both parts of the equation were Republican controlled, but it has gotten down right ludicrous since the Democrats captured the House and the Senate, even though by a narrow margin in the Senate.

  Just what has this Congress accomplished other than a raise in the minimum wage ( much needed, not enough ) and lip service to the Bush administration only to back down and give him pretty much everything that he has wanted, the way that he has wanted, on most of the other important matters?

   We have a Congress which is still giving the Bush Crime Family every dime that it asks for to go and get more of our people killed in Iraq. There is no improvement in Iraq after this much vaulted " surge " came into being. Nothing there that resembles success in the least bit. You all know the rest of the story, so I'm not going any farther with a list.If this Congress can't do its job, then maybe it is time for a newer, better one in its place.

  This comes back to my usual topic of FISA and the telecom amnesty amendment attached to it. I already have and you need to let your Senators know that amnesty for the telecoms ( Bush Administration ) is not an option and it will never be. I guess that you and I have to force some backbone upon our Congress, so lets get to work and do it, shall we?

Technorati Tags: U.S. Congress, the Senate, George Bush, FISA, telecom amnesty