Posted on 06/10/2005 2:05:01 PM PDT by Extremely Extreme Extremist
WASHINGTON - The Republican chairman walked off with the gavel, leaving Democrats shouting into turned-off microphones at a raucous hearing Friday on the Patriot Act.
The House Judiciary Committee hearing, with the two sides accusing each other of being irresponsible and undemocratic, came as President Bush was urging Congress to renew those sections of the post-Sept. 11 counterterrorism law set to expire in September.
Rep. James Sensenbrenner, R-Wis., chairman of the panel, abruptly gaveled the meeting to an end and walked out, followed by other Republicans. Sensenbrenner declared that much of the testimony, which veered into debate over the detainees at Guantanamo Bay, was irrelevant.
Rep. Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y., protested, raising his voice as his microphone went off, came back on, and went off again.
"We are not besmirching the honor of the United States, we are trying to uphold it," he said.
Democrats asked for the hearing, the 11th the committee has held on the act since April, saying past hearings had been too slanted toward witnesses who supported the law. The four witnesses were from groups, including Amnesty International USA and the American Immigration Lawyers Association, that have questioned the constitutionality of some aspects of the act, which allows law enforcement greater authority to investigate suspected terrorists.
Nadler said Sensenbrenner, one of the authors of the Patriot Act, was "rather rude, cutting everybody off in mid-sentence with an attitude of total hostility."
Tempers flared when Rep. Mike Pence (news, bio, voting record), R-Ind., accused Amnesty International of endangering the lives of Americans in uniform by referring to the prison at Guantanamo Bay as a "gulag." Sensenbrenner didn't allow the Amnesty representative, Chip Pitts, to respond until Nadler raised a "point of decency."
Sensenbrenner's spokesman, Jeff Lungren, said the hearing had lasted two hours and "the chairman was very accommodating, giving members extra time."
James Zogby, president of the Arab American Institute, speaking immediately after Sensenbrenner left, voiced dismay over the proceedings. "I'm troubled about what kind of lesson this gives" to the rest of the world, he told the Democrats remaining in the room.
Senate Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi, in a statement, said the hearing was an example of Republican abuse of power and she would ask House Speaker Dennis Hastert to order an apology from Sensenbrenner.
Very funny. Very freeking funny!! LOL.
Yes--I am watching it for the second time today--it is fun!
Although the dems and the witnesses will say things that will make you want to throw things at the TV!!!
BTW, Sensebrenner WILL NOT let any of the dems interrupt him!!!
I just flipped it on.
Do you know about what time this gets good?
surprised that this doesn't happen more often...
... and she'll probably tell her Daddy on you too!
The Wadler is a New York "Wimpy"(Popeye)..
i.e. Pass me a tax today and I'll pay you pack next tuesday..
Lanny Davis??!! Wasn't he one of the Clinton Kool Aid drinkers that kept proclaiming that Clinton never committed purgery on the stand, and was innocent even after Clinton admitted he lied?If this is the same lawyer he's nuts. Watch for him to constuct a bunch of lies and false acts relating to the patriot act. He might have even been the lawyer to tell Clinton to parse his words and answer ''It depends on what the meaning of is , is!'' I hope the president also put some good decent Republican lawyers on this committe to counter all the crap that Lanny Davis is about to spew!!!
Someone posted that Bush also appointed Ted Olsen, so I hope that he will keep Lanny in line...
Lanny is one of Sean Hannity's favorite libs to have on his show...and yes, he is very, very much a Clintonista...
I have been praying that all this Bush/Clinton buddy-buddy stuff was going to stop, but I guess not!
Jeez, louise, and the dems are always accusing Bush of being an abuser of power and a divider, instead of a uniter. I think he is going way too far out of his way to be fair...
Remember Kennedy and the No Child Left Behind Act?
Senate Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi, in a statement, said the hearing was an example of Republican abuse of powerIf the Democrats want to chair committee meetings, they should try winning majorities.
And to do that, they'll have to stop choosing lunatics like Pelosi to run their Party.
Somebody finally got fed up with DemonRat crapola ping!
A.A.C.
Zogby said it was similar to the behavior of other nations cracking down on the opposition. He essentially proved Sensenbrenner's point in ending the hearing by making such a ridiculous statement. The hearing was held at the Democrats' request - and they got it - and they couldn't even stick to the topic they were supposed to discussing. It was a waste of taxpayer's time and money.
Surprising, isn't it? It was far more objective and balanced than the usual article. :-)
I didn't see the hearing live this morning, but it was just as hilarious even watching this taped, on CSPAN. They kept flashing on the screen every time some Democrat was shouting into microphones that were turned off, "Rep. Sensenbrenner has already officially gaveled this hearing to a close". The atmoshpere with the Democrats and their Liberal stooge panelists was not quite the same atmosphere of the Ohio Vote Fraud faux hearing held by Democrats in January, chaired by that screwball Rep. Conyers.
The fact Pelosi calls it an "abuse of power" is hilarious if not stupid. Beyond that, Pelosi isn't a Senator. She's the House Minority Leader. Those who write for the AP are truly disconnected from reality.
Thanks, again! Wouldn't it be nice if Republicans in the Senate caught the same gut-growing virus.
I totally agree with you on Pelosi, she's an absolute jackass idiot. But, somehow I think we Republicans have been blessed with having boneheads like her, Dean, and Reid as the faces and voices of the dem party. They have out of control big mouths, spew George Soros/Michael Moore style hatred, and have absolutely no agenda whatsoever other than to obstruct, not a winning strategy.
Everyone had an opportunity to question the panel. Maxine Waters, the last questioner, spent four minutes and 45 seconds of her alloted five minutes in a diatribe against Bush. Conyers, the ranking member, then asked for four additional minutes so the panel members could respond to Waters' comments. Rightfully, Sensenbrenner refused and after some closing remarks adjourned the meeting.
You sure have got that right!
Eight duce on the lose!
"Tempers flared when Rep. Mike Pence (news, bio, voting record), R-Ind., accused Amnesty International of endangering the lives of Americans in uniform by referring to the prison at Guantanamo Bay as a "gulag." Sensenbrenner didn't allow the Amnesty representative, Chip Pitts, to respond until Nadler raised a "point of decency."
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If given the opportunity any single one of the 'detainees' at Gitmo would gladly do a repeat of 9/11.
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