Bolton Hearing 5/12/05

[TayTay]

I wanted to have this ready for today's hearing. We can then post away.

[whometense]

1. Wow. Hot start.

Biden's already pissed.

[Pirate Smile]

3. Did you hear the Stephanie Miller bit on Bolton meeting with

Lisa Murkowski? Hilarious. I mentioned it this thread about the Bolton hearing also
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x3643066

[whometense]

2. Lugar's trying to defuse

the negative stuff by "acknowledging" it. Listing Bolton's accomplishments. Unimpressive (in my view, anyway).

[TayTay]

4. He also responded to the NYTimes

article this morning. The nominee had the right to interpret the intel in his own way. (Wrongly. There were no WMD. Cuba does not have bio weapons. etc.) Smackdown on Kerry from the Chairman.

[whometense]

5. Heard that.

Kerry, Dodd and Boxer.

Does he believe a word he's saying, I wonder?

[TayTay]

6. I don't think so.

This is crap. His whole argument is
* wants him
His behaviour is just what the corrupt UN needs. (UN needs an ass-whoopin. We will send them Bolton. Out of fear of this lunatic, they will roll over for us.)
Democrats are too smart and ask too many questions. Damn them. Wussies.

[Pirate Smile]

7. BushCo has corrupted the few decent Republicans left in the Senate.

Lugar is so incredibly disappointing. What the hell happened to that guy?

Hagel is going to go along also, I guess.

[whometense]

9. "Desire for the truth"

Give me a f***ing break.

[europegirl4jfk]

10. Rove wrote Lugar's opening statement, I guess.

BTW, it's live on CNN International right now. But for how long? Once the Reps are through, they will certainly cut away from it. :(

[whometense]

8. Being an

"aggressive, blunt" individual qualifies you as a DIPLOMAT?

Getting sick of that ridiculous assertion.

Imagine if Bolton was nominated by a dem - what would Lugar be saying about him then??

[ginnyinWI]

12. this is partisan politics at its worst.

Diplomat, my eye! All this lying has got to be bad for these peoples' health!

[TayTay]

13. Figures Weld would send a letter

in support of Bolton. Weld also stonewalled the Iran-Contra investigation when he served at the AG's office in the '80's under REagan. Like to like.

[whometense]

11. So, I think I get the strategy.

Lugar is well aware of how many people are tuning in today. He's hoping to defuse, discourage, and bore the opposition into submission.

What do you think??

[TayTay]

14. Rethug line

We wnat Bolton.
Yes, he is a bastard. But we need a bastard. Don't we.
And besides, some of us don't think he's a bastard.
Only Democrats hate Bastards. Democrats are mean and wussy and picky. I hate Democrats. Please shut them up.
* deserves this nominee. (* has in no way threatened me. Please change my batteries now.)

[whometense]

15. ooooooooh

Voinovich a NO????

[TayTay]

16. Not so sure

He's hedging. I hope so.

[whometense]

18. "What message are we sending

to the world?"

[whometense]

21. Wahooooo!!!!!!

A republican with an actual mind and conscience! The truth sounds like music.

I am so psyched.

[Pirate Smile]

17. Is he? My C-span 3 sound won't work. Arrgghh.

[TayTay]

19. try here

http://www.cspan.org/watch/cspan3_rm.asp?Cat=TV&Code=CS3

[TayTay]

20. I think he's a NO

God Bless, SEnator. You have my respect.

[Pirate Smile]

23. MSNBC is now showing Voinavich live.

[europegirl4jfk]

26. Are you sure he is a Republican?

He almost sounds like a Democrat to me. ;)

[TayTay]

30. No, he's a Repub

but a principled one. He is a stubbron guy and keeps his own counsel.

[Pirate Smile]

22. Thanks. I got it fixed. I had to close it out and open it again.

So they are going to vote to get him to the floor even though George votes NO? Just a guess.

[whometense]

25. Maybe Voinovich

is giving Hagel cover to vote no as well? How bad are Hagel and Chafee going to look if they vote yes after this speech?

[whometense]

29. Send to the senate floor

without recommendation.

Could that be the best possible solution? Getting to air all this nasty thuggery on the senate floor?

On edit, no. Biden's floored.

[Pirate Smile]

32. Right. On to the Floor Fight. This will be very, very Interesting.

[Pirate Smile]

31. I know. They are really paying off Chafee to get his vote. Hagel

should know better.

[TayTay]

24. Wow! Go Voiny

"John Bolton is the poster boy for what a diplomat whould not be."

[Pirate Smile]

27. Send to the floor without recommendation. I knew it. They want to

get it to the floor and ram it through.

[TayTay]

33. This is now part of the whole filibister thing

this will precurse who votes to go nuclear and who votes for democracy and minority rights.

This is wicked interesting. Is JK there?

[TayTay]

34. Intelligent post from DKos

Voinovich favors a 'No Recommendation' ... (none / 0)

... sending it to a floor for an up-or-down vote.
THIS IS GOOD!

Worst case -- it goes to a vote, where GOP mod's have abundant cover to vote Nay.

Likely case -- 'no rec' out of cmte, and the nom gets pulled before any Senate floor vote ... not even a procedural test vote.

Possible case -- Lugar makes a strategic retreat, or Chafee, Hagel, others find their spines, and the nom never gets out of committee.

UPSHOT:
Bush has been beat bad on a no-holds-barred showdown, and he's now a lame, lame duck.

[whometense]

37. I like that.

Who wrote the post? Was it Kos?

[Pirate Smile]

35. I haven't seen him yet but someone posted in GD that he looked

"weary". :shrug:

[whometense]

36. I haven't seen a shot

of him yet.

[TayTay]

28. Arrrrgggghhhhh

Please, Voiny, Vote no!
Then Vote no on it going to the Floor!

[whometense]

38. Get prepared for nausea.

Allen's up.

[whometense]

39. Ok. Already sick.

Either he's a total idiot, or he's amoral.

At least Lugar has the decency to look like the words taste bad.

[TayTay]

40. Allen is such a jerk

again, my condolences to Kleeb having to be repped in the Senate by this guy. At least Warner is a good guy. Allen is a rethug goon.

[whometense]

41. Think Progress

has full text of Voinovich's statement here: http://thinkprogress.org/index.php?p=853

[TayTay]

43. Kerry's up after spineless

I mean Chafee. Chafee's stuff is going to be painful.

[whometense]

44. You're so right.

Painful.

[whometense]

45. "Our saying something nice

about him puts him in an uncomfortable position."

"Well then, something's wrong with here, not with Sen. Voinovich...We shouldn't be so amazed that somneone stops and thinks."

GO, JK.

AND he "takes exception with Sen. Allen." All Right.

Edited to whine: WHY is this man not president right now?????

[whometense]

42. Dodd:

"Let's end this now."

Amen.

Chafee ("The Wimp from Warwick") up.

[TayTay]

46. Kerry: Allen is a jerk

Oh yes, Sen. Allen is an idiot.

It's not about the UN, you boob, it's about our relationship to the world.

Go John Go.

He looks tired.

[whometense]

47. Can you imagine how

exhausting this week has been?

[karynnj]

51. Or almost any week for the last few months

Although I know that nothing will sink in and that the Republicans will do as they planned, Kerry's appeal to reason is so compelling that it is so sad that it's all power for these Republicans.

Coleman is annoying, poor Bolton every one of his little negative interactions are investigated. No one will go into public service!

[TayTay]

48. Love that

Here's Amb. Bolton. Is he sitting on one of the floors he wanted to eliminate?

Good one.

[whometense]

49. Sexy glasses.

Edit: Sorry about that. The tension's getting to me. I want to give him a hug.

[TayTay]

50. Yeah, Bolton is a liar

Nice job by Kerry. Bolton lied to the committee and doesn't deserve a promotion for being a mean bastard. He lied, under oath. to a SEante comm.

Coleman, it is a crying shame before Gawd to see him in Wellstone's seat. Honestly, what a disgrace.

[karynnj]

52. Coleman is even more annoying than Allen

Especially his "elections have consequences". What I don't understand is he was a Democrat, who supposedly became a Republican out of expediency. So, he can't possibly believe all this RW garbage - it makes it worse that he's not even genuine. (Can we get him to go after Haliburtan? - I think they may have cheated more than the UN and Saddam.)

I agree that it hurts that he is there in Wellstone's seat (or even Mondale's seat).

[TayTay]

53. Elections have consequences

That's just so. And the Dems standing up for themselves and refusing to bend over and take it is one of those consequences. I don't understand why Coleman or Allen don't see this. This backbone comes FROM the '04 election, as surely as their pigheadedness does.

The Dems are learning how to oppose the REthugs. That is a direct consequence of the election. That is a weak argument.

[TayTay]

54. How long until the vote?

anyone know?

[whometense]

55. I think they

plan to vote at three?

I heard something about that early on.

[whometense]

56. Voting now

WITHOUT recommendation.

[whometense]

57. 10 aye, 8 nay

party lines.

Kerry's firm "No." made me proud.

[WildEyedLiberal]

58. Can we win the floor vote?

If Voinovich, Chafee, and Hagel vote no on the floor, along with other moderate pukes?

Assuming we don't have any TRAITORS like Joementum.

[whometense]

59. I don't know.

God, what an exhausting day! I'm going over to Steve Clemons to see what he's saying.

Here it is:

May 12, 2005
Explaining What is About to Happen: When a 10-8 Vote is REALLY 9-9
Senator Lugar is not going to allow a vote on John Bolton in the Committee. We will get no 9-9 tie because Lugar won't allow a loss, or stalemate.

What will happen shortly is that Lugar will move that the committee report the nomination to the floor without recommendation. That nomination will pass 10-8, on a party line vote.

According to a source close to the action, "A lot of people misunderstand what a "neutral recommendation" means. It does not mean that the vote was tied. It means literally that a motion is made that the nomination be sent to the floor without recommendation. The Committee could also theoretically report the nomination to the floor with a negative recommendation."

Unfortunately, it appears that Voinovich, although he will vote no on the floor, is not insisting that the committee report out the nomination with a negative recommendation.

According to my source, "If Voinovich were to make THAT motion, it would probably fail, with 9 Republicans voting against, and Dems having to decide whether to send it to the floor with a negative recommendation, or whether to vote against the motion to keep the nomination in committee."

The Committee is ducking here, but that's ok.

This is going to be a great fight -- lots more room to squeeze the issues out and compel the White House to defend a flawed and damaged Bolton nomination.

So, stay tuned -- lots and lots more ahead.

And by the way, victory is preempting the Committee's recommendation to confirm John Bolton.

The tide turned our way today.

-- Steve Clemons

[TayTay]

60. Yeah!

Thanks to all. It has been an exhausting day. (Well, I'm spent anyway.) Everyone should go back to their offices and have a nice cup of tea.

When does the Highway bill go to a vote. I noticed that the Senate was due to stay in seesion today until 8:00. Long damn day.