Harry Reid Loses It

[FBaggins]

When the volatile Gregory Jaczko stepped down as chairman of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission this spring, industry might have hoped that regulatory agency could get back to providing some calm governance. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid instead seems intent on keeping the NRC in a state of dysfunction.

Mr. Reid went thermonuclear this week on sitting commissioner William Magwood. In an interview with the Huffington Post, Mr. Reid called Mr. Magwood, a Democrat appointed by President Obama, "unethical," "a first-class rat," a "miserable liar" and a "s—t stirrer." This unseemly tirade follows a similar Reid outburst against Republican commissioner Kristine Svinicki, whom he also accused of being a liar, in hopes of scotching her reconfirmation to the NRC.

Consider this retribution for the part the commissioners played in Mr. Jaczko's departure. It was Mr. Reid who installed his former staffer at the commission in 2004 with marching orders to shut down the Yucca Mountain nuclear waste depository slated for Mr. Reid's home state of Nevada. Mr. Jaczko did that, but in such a dictatorial style that he alienated much of the agency. By late last year, Democratic and Republican commissioners at the agency were publicly calling out Mr. Jaczko for his undemocratic methods and for his verbal abuse of staff. He resigned in May under pressure, and Mr. Reid is still furious that his pet pick is gone.

The ballistic attack on Mr. Magwood might also be a warning to the commission that it had better not rethink Mr. Jaczko's policies. In his interview Mr. Reid griped that Mr. Magwood was a "tool of the nuclear industry," highlighting the majority leader's seeming fears that the commission might reconsider Yucca or other nuclear projects that Mr. Jaczko had stymied. Mr. Reid got used to running the NRC via his Jaczko plant; he clearly intends to continue exerting influence through fear.


http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10000872396390444860104577560862031614288.html

[Yeah Its Spin]

1. Good job Harry.

Mr. Reid called Mr. Magwood, a Democrat appointed by President Obama, "unethical," "a first-class rat," a "miserable liar" and a "s—t stirrer."

[pscot]

2. Shutting down Yucca Mountain was a mistake

We desperately need a place to put the growing pile of hot, nuclear waste. We've been dicking around with this issue for 40 years, and Yucca Mountain offered the cleanest solution yet proposed. It's death was caused by nimbyism and politics. Harry Reid and the President are both on the wrong side of this one.

[FBaggins]

3. As a matter of national public policy? Sure.

But NIMBY is a very powerful way to leverage votes... and the nation doesn't elect him.

[pscot]

6. I understand how shit works

But one might hope that sometime, somebody might put the general fucking welfare ahead of self interest. Nah! That's crazy talk.

[Kolesar]

4. This time, you are using the ultimate conservative newspaper to flog this old story

Visitors to the forum may with to do a Google "site search" on Jaczko for a rounder view of what went down.

http://election.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1127&pid=14612

[FBaggins]

5. It's an "old story" already?

Didn't Reid say it just a few days ago?

And what's with the odd link to an unrelated thread?

This time, you are using the ultimate conservative newspaper

I'd be interested in hearing which parts of the piece were slanted by that bias. Reid did lose it, and it was an unseemly tirade. He did try something similar on another appointee. It certainly is retribution for his perception that they forced out his former staffer (who he did put in place for the purpose of halting Yucca). Jaczko did have a dictatorial style and did alientate much of the NRC (including those in his own party). Reid is furious that his pet (shared with Merkle) is gone. The attack clearly is a warning to the commission to not change the Yucca decision.

[PamW]

7. Ultimately it will be the Courts...

Ultimately it will be the Courts that decide the Yucca Mountain question.

Yucca Mountain was authorized by two acts of Congress; the Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1984 and the Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1987.

I think ultimately that the US Supreme Court is going to tell some future Administration that Yucca Mountain was mandated BY LAW. If Reid or anyone else wants to reverse that Act of Congress; then it will take another Act of Congress, i.e. another law to reverse it.

In the early 20th century, the USA had a Prohibition on liquor that was written into our Constitution by the 18th Amendment. No Administration could reverse Prohibition by fiat - it was mandated by the Constitution. No Act of Congress could reverse Prohibition; any such Act would be unconstitutional because it conflicted with the US Constitution, the 18th Amendment in particular.

The only way to reverse Prohibition, was by another Amendment to the Constitution. Amendment 21 repeals Amendment 18.

Likewise, Yucca Mountain, which was mandated by 1984 and 1987 LAWS, was terminated by fiat of the Administration. When the lawsuits that are currently making their ways through the court system up to the US Supreme Court are heard by the highest Court in the land; I believe the US Supreme Court will say that the only way to repeal a Law of Congress is with another Law of Congress, and that no Administration can just change the policy by fiat as the Obama Administration has.

When that happens, I wonder where Harry Reid will be. I hope that he is "in the ground" in Nevada; because when that happens, Reid is going to "go nuclear"; and produce quite a subsidence crater that will favorably compete with anything at the Nevada Test Site.

PamW