Why is congress silent about the 700 million in diverted funds?

[deacon]

The civics lesson of the Iran-Contra scandal was simple: No matter how powerful or well-intentioned, presidents cannot secretly fund wars without the consent of Congress. But according to Bob Woodward's new book, President Bush apparently never learned that axiom. And now, Congress must demand answers.

As White House spokesman Scott McClellan accurately noted, the president was granted "broad discretion" to spend these emergency funds. The problem is that that "broad discretion" was not a blank check. The spending bills legally required him to notify Congress before diverting money.

http://www.prospect.org/web/page.ww?section=root&name=ViewWeb&articleId=7623

Why hasn't one member of congress even asked a question about this??

[toddzilla]

1. because they are 95% corporate whores.

This is why i can't understand why people stand behind the democratic party so steadfastly.. what the fuck good are they?

[deacon]

3. the media too, they don't seem to want to tough this

this diversion of funds seems to be a cut and dry 'you're busted' incident. no gray area at all, and yet zippo, nothing, nada.

[SemperEadem]

19. they're more concerned with your bare midriff or outlawing abortion

than to worry about something so frivolous and inconsequential as $700m.

The NeoPuritan agenda is far more important that a couple of duckets. (/sarcasm)

[DAGDA56]

2. lotsa lawyers in Congress...

...just because nothing is showing up in the papers, doesn't mean they aren't working on it. If anything, this is an affront to the power of the Legislative branch...I almost guarantee somebody's putting a case together.

[physioex]

4. The are Republican.....

They don't really care....

[toddzilla]

6. sorry, repubs may have majority, but not by a large margin.

Plenty of sit-down dems in congress...


i'm sick of it.

[neverforget]

5. I emailed my Senators and Congresswoman and asked them to

uphold their end of the Constitution and to hold Bush accountable. It'll be interesting to see what Senator Gordon Smith (Repuke-Oregon) has to say. Probably something like "Bush can do wrong and your name has been forwarded to Ashcroft for having the gall to question our Great Leader,"

[deacon]

7. you know, i am going to do that right now too

this is too weird, this is a very serious allegation.

[cornfedyank]

9. i e-mailed mine also.....flood them...

i also e-mailed about the woman who lost her, and her husband's, job over "secret" pictures. hand wrote about broken promises to the guard and reserves. i don't know whether they need help with their courage or a kick in the ass.

[porkrind]

8. Good Point.

This needs more attention, or it will go away.

There are two issues. One is illegally side-stepping congress to fund a war. Two, is the issue of unaccounted funds always being used for shady illegal things like bribes, CIA coups, etc. If they can't ask congress in broad daylight for what they want, it shouldn't be funded. PERIOD!

There should be no "Black" slices of the budget pie. It encourages and rewards corruption.

---

Read about the Right-Wing "Master Plan": http://www.zmag.org/chomsky/sam/sam-contents.html

[Momof1]

10. Yesterday on Air America it was suggested

That they are not talking about it now, so they can talk on and on about it in October or November, which by that time they should be investigating it in Congress.

[deacon]

11. someone mentioned that waxman is investigating it...

...but i have been unable to find any mention of it in web searches.

[seabeyond]

12. i listened to boxer

on cspan today talking to wolfiwitz and someone else. she held up article saying bush says he didnt, and woodard saying they did and by gosh she would like to know what it is. and wanted the people in the know in front of them talking to them, not the people that didnt have the answers

my point, she is aware of it, and she is bothered with it and she hasnt forgot it or is ignoring it. so i am willing to see what is going to happen with this.

i think they are trying to gather the info on it

[deacon]

13. that must be it. that they are gathering info on it...

the press seems right now, that they don't want any part of it.

[ikojo]

14. They are silent because......

NOTHING is as serious and threatening to the security of the US as a president receiving a BJ in the Oval Office

and two....

ANYTHING done in the name of the War on Terra is good and just because of 9/11...9/11....9/11...9/11....remember if you aren't with us then you are agin' us and to question how * spends ANY money is to HATE 'MURKA you commies!

Now move on...after all it's ONLY $700 MILLION...that's nothing. It's not like a SEX scandal you know. Anyway...the heavenly father instructed * to spend the money.

[OneBlueSky]

15. how about the $3 TRILLION that was "lost" . . .

seems to me that, as our representatives, Congress should be a least a little interested in getting to the bottom of that one . . . bwdik? . . .

[leftofthedial]

16. since the Coup

the Congress has little power and is told what to do.

[Kanary]

17. The price of Democracy is eternal vigilance

Ok, that's a rewording, but the point is..... WE, THE PEOPLE have been lax.

You ask, why hasn't the Congress done anything?

*I* ask, WHY haven't WE? Why didn't we storm our Senators and our Representatives first thing Monday morning, after the Woodward interview, and DEMAND investigations and IMPEACHMENT?? What are we waiting for?

On Monday morning, there were TWO threads on DU, reporting that some who had called their Legislators offices found that those offices were being bombarded with calls for impeachment. There were pleas for all of us to make calls, write letters, and spread the word. Yet, those threads sank like the proverbial stones. That's not how to get things changed.

So, here it is again:

1-800-839-5276 or 1-877-762-8762 Ask for the Legislator of your choice, and express your demand for impeachment, and charges of illegal conduct.

Email is OK, but snail mail is more effective. Letters to Washington offices might be discarded, but if you write to the *local* offices, it will be recorded and filed.

A few minutes to express your wishes for this country.

That's what the reich wing does, and look what it has reaped for them.

We're behind........ let's get going.

Calls and letters.......

Kanary

[okieinpain]

18. personally I think bush has them by the short hairs with one of

those technical do hickies. they gave him a blank check for afghanistan and he screwed them. you know like giving a guy your life savings for a cut of his lottery check.

[0007]

20. Somthing is going on!

[Kanary]

21. That possibility DOESN'T stop us from taking action

I guess I'm amazed at how easily we are ready to back off, and yet...... we complain about the spinelessness of our Dems in power.
So what if there MIGHT be a technical problem..... we have to let them know we're expecting action from them!

Remember, in politics you have to go for the best you can get, because it may have to be negotiated down a notch or two. If we want *any* action, we're going to have to push for what we want, so why not push for the most?

I must repeat.... if we're not willing to take the time to place a few phone calls, and write a few letters, we have no business complaining that our Senators and Representatives aren't doing enough against the reich wing. We have a part in this.

Kanary