Klayman Calls GOP Leaders in Senate `Gutless'

The Ledger ^ | March 24, 2004 | Brendan Farrington

[MikeJ75]

MIAMI -- Republican leaders in the U.S. Senate have helped run up a record federal deficit, haven't made tough budget cuts, and failed President Bush. Larry Klayman says he's someone who would be a "true" Republican in Washington who wouldn't go along simply because he was in the majority party.

"I support the president, but I think he's gotten bad advice and he's going along with the Senate leadership who wanted to hand out all these goodies," said Klayman, who's running for the GOP Senate nomination.

Klayman, 52, said he can help the president by coming to the Senate as an outsider and taking the heat for a tough stand on the budget. He called the current Senate leadership "gutless."

"I'm not going up to Washington to go along and get along. I'm going to be very respectful, but I'm going to be a true Republican," he said. "The Senate Republican leadership has failed the president and failed the country with a budget deficit of $5.75 trillion over the next 10 years. We have to balance that budget."

Klayman spoke during a wideranging interview with reporters and an editor of The Associated Press. Klayman is the founder of Judicial Watch, the conservative, Washington-based watchdog group that he left to run for Senate. He has also worked as a Justice Department lawyer and international trade attorney.

Klayman said he would have voted against the Medicare prescription drug bill Bush signed in December. Democrats have attacked the administration after it acknowledged the law will cost $534 billion over 10 years, compared to the $395 billion estimated by congressional budget analysts. Klayman said it was too expensive even before the cost estimate ballooned.

"We have a busted budget by $534 billion and that's a lot of money which we don't have," he said. "If you're a true Republican and a true conservative, like I like to think I am, that's a cause of great concern to you because our kids and grandkids are going to be bankrupt."

He also plans to investigate the Food and Drug Administration because efforts to lower prescription drug prices appear to have been blocked by special interests. He cited governments' inability to negotiate bulk rates from drug manufacturers and the agency's refusal to allow American madedrugs to be reimported from countries like Canada, where they sell for far less.

"I'm very concerned that the special interests in Washington are the ones who have lobbied so hard to put up this resistance where in fact, logically there should be no resistance," he said.

President Bush also received bad advice on going to war with Iraq, Klayman said, adding he should have acted to remove Saddam Hussein sooner.

"It's logical that we couldn't find weapons of mass destruction because he had a year to give them away. Clearly he had biological and chemical weapons and they're probably in the hands of other terrorists right now," Klayman said.

[Glenn]

Klayman is such an ass.

Now sue me, Larry.

[rrrod]

its true about our republican senators tho...completely spineless

[Future Snake Eater]

Sounds like he speaks the truth to me.

[sgtbono2002]

Yes I agree they are spineless. They are the majority party and they act like they are in the minority.They allow buttheads like Ted Kennedy to badmouth our President without being censured for his lies.

[rrrod]

ive not seen a single republican senator take a stand...this is an outrage!

[ontos-on]

Klayman is such an ass. Now sue me, Larry.

Tell us what you disagree with.

[Dave S]

Klayman should know as he is brainless and unprincipled. What a joke? Why doesnt he run as a splinter part of the Constitutional Party or the John Birch Society. Or maybe just as a member of the "Im an ambulance chasing whore party."

[Glenn]

Tell us what you disagree with.

I've disliked Klayman for many years. Anything he says should be taken with a grain of salt. The man wears scale suits.

[Dave S]

My all time favorite Klayman scene was when the Judge in the Florida vote controversy told him to sit down and shut up.

[ontos-on]

Tell us what you disagree with.

Tell us what you disagree with.

Tell us what you disagree with.

what is the what that you disagree with, the fact that you dislike him does not amount to much in and of itself.

[Glenn]

what is the what that you disagree with, the fact that you dislike him does not amount to much in and of itself.

The fact is, I merely came on this thread to call Klayman an ass because I dislike the snake.

Nothing he says is worth listening to.

Do you understand now?

[The Mayor]

He called the current Senate leadership "gutless."

this we know..

[Iscool]

At least he's got the right speech...His sounds better than anything else coming out of Washington...But he must realize that his opponents will be financed by the special interests he opposes...
An anti-establishment/pro people Republican candidate...Now that's different...

[deport]

If you need a smile to start the day, maybe this will bring one your way.......

Now money, ol' Lar knew a little about the fundraising part or so it seems.

[Glenn]

An anti-establishment/pro people Republican candidate

A guy who sued his own mother. A snake who sued Bush and placed him on the same level as Clinton. A worthless mob-boss fundraiser with a JD.

He'd say anything and do anything to get what he wants. A weasel if there ever was one.

[cynicom]

If Klayman never says another thing, indeed the pubs in congress are gutless.

[Poohbah]

Judicial Watch spends the vast majority (90+%) of its donations on...soliciting more donations.

Klayman has invented the self-licking ice cream cone.

[Iscool]

He'd say anything and do anything to get what he wants. A weasel if there ever was one.

So what's another weasel in Washington??? At least this one may try to represent the people...

[ovrtaxt]

I think he wasted a really good opportunity to do some good with Judicial Watch. He screwed it up.

But, as far as his quotes in the article, he's right. That's the trouble with him. He starts out with the right idea, then goes all squirrely.