Democrats close Senate (Frist: 'From now on … I can't trust Senator Reid')

WorldNetDaily ^ | 11/1/05 | WorldNetDaily

[wagglebee]

Accusing Republicans of ignoring questions about pre-war intelligence, Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid forced the Republican-controlled Senate into an unusual closed session today, igniting anger from GOP leaders.

Before calling for the rare motion, which was seconded by his assistant minority leader, Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., Reid said his colleagues across the aisle "have repeatedly chosen to protect the Republican administration rather than get to the bottom of what happened and why."

Speaking to reporters in the hall outside the Senate chamber, Majority Leader Bill Frist shot back, charging the Senate "has been hijacked by the Democratic leadership."

"They have no convictions, they have no principles, they have no ideas," he said.

Frist said the Democratic Party leadership did not warn him in advance of the move, which Republicans called a "political stunt."

"It means from now on, for the next year and half, I can't trust Senator Reid," the Tennessee lawmaker said.

Durbin told reporters the Democratic Senate staff notified Republican staff as the session began.

Frist explained that the closed session meant all electronic devices had to be removed and staff and media were barred from the room.

Sen. Trent Lott, R-Miss., a former majority leader, said Reid's move violated the Senate's tradition of courtesy and consent.

But the rules, he said, provided no way for Republicans to stop Reid.

In his speech before issuing the motion, Reid said that in the wake of the indictment Friday of Vice President Dick Cheney's former chief of staff I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby, the American people and U.S. troops deserved to know details of how the U.S. got into the Iraq war.

Reid said Libby was the highest level official to be indicted in some 130 years, then asked: "Is it any wonder, Mr. President, I am worried about my grandchildren?"

Reid previously spoke of concern about his family's future welfare as he ticked off a list of familiar Democratic complaints about the performance of the Bush administration on issues ranging from the war to the economy.

The minority leader said the Libby indictment "provides a window into what this is really all about, how this administration manufactured and manipulated intelligence in order to sell the war in Iraq and attempted to destroy those who dared to challenge its actions."

Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., told reporters the reason for the closed door session was to ask the chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, Sen. Pat Roberts, R-Kan., why, "despite repeated promises," the panel has not complied with Democrats requests to conduct an investigation into problems with pre-war intelligence.

About two hours after the closing, the Senate returned to an open session in which Roberts defiantly insisted his panel is addressing the issue, on schedule, and called the Democrats' move a "political stunt," noting he had a stronger term for it, but "would leave it at that."

Prior to the open session, the senators agreed to appoint a six-member task force with three members from each party, to review the Intelligence Committee's progress on "Phase 2" of its work and report back to their respective caucuses by Nov. 14.

The first phase resulted in a 511-page report submitted last summer that addressed flaws of an Iraq intelligence estimate assembled by the country's top analysts in October 2002.

Roberts said the panel had started the second phase of the review but not completed it. He had intended all along, he said, to continue the work next week.

[Texas Songwriter]

I have a theory. Having lost all power and having been relegated to riding the pines after they were first stringers for over 50 years, these people are like fish out of water. They behave like spoiled brats because they do not know how to be gentlemen. They are not constrained by a moral code that says they should not do this or that. They really don't like America and hold no devotion to the constitution. Beyond tht they hold the constitution in contempt. They adopt the idea of a living constitution because a judicial decree does away with the legislative responsibility and demands they need not be responsible to the people. They cannot afford to be widely exposed to the public because they are so radical. They are despicable of all men.

Now they flail. Like a mad dog that bites at anything that moves. There is no reason to their actions. They are now on a mission to destroy. They want to destroy Bush because Clinton, despite their having propped him up for so many years, they know that all decent people see clinton for what he is and what he was and it is to their shame. In an attempt to diminish their shame in the eyes of the public, they are going to try to impeach Bush. If the dems take the House next 2006, they will impeach Bush, not because Bush deserves it, but because they believe that will absolve them of their past sins of shilling for Clinton.

These democrat ravings are designed only to marginalize Bush in the eyes of the public hoping that they can taint the voting public just enough to push them over the top. This is the degree to which they hate this country. The Republicans would do well to see them now for what they are and what they are willing to do and start an offensive against them. If the Republicans decide to only respond, they will be allowing the dems to define them. That is a huge mistake.

[bray]

Looks like the Reid family Peaked at his mom!!

Pray for W and Our Troops

[Digger]

If the President had gotten tough with Dems and RINOs alike he might have actually been able to accomplish more of his agenda than a weak tax cut, spending that would make Bill Clinton blush and a tort reform bill.

Also this Frist character was GWs choice. Then Bubba on stage with him. Then the Harriet Miers fiasco. How about the new bankruptcy act bailing out the big boys. You have filled in the other major points. Face. We got a moderate president that really doesn't want to ruffle the feathers of anyone & float thru 2 terms with handing his rich business buddies the goodies & placating the rest - and then 9-11 happened & the party was over.

[Monti Cello]

I agree with some of what you say. Times have changed a lot in the past 50 years politically, and the personalities change. The Dems certainly have a crop of losers at the moment.

The Dems find themselves ill-equipped in term of personal effectiveness and political issues to do anything but throw random objects at the opposition.

Fortunately for them the opposition takes the form of a very agreeable sloth, so the objects hit mark, and the advance of their opponent is limited.

[Shortstop7]

And I would love to see Frist just deck Reid in front of the whole senate. Makes me happy just thinking about it! LOL

I LOVE that idea....... I am SO sick of these moronic Dims and their downright nastiness.

[Texas Songwriter]

The Dems find themselves ill-equipped in term of personal effectiveness and political issues to do anything but throw random objects at the opposition. Fortunately for them the opposition takes the form of a very agreeable sloth, so the objects hit mark, and the advance of their opponent is limited.

The opposition (republicans) are making a terrible mistake only playing defense. The republicans need to be ruthlessly proactive.

[Jrabbit]

Amen

Loved Nevada....despised Dusty Harry. The most insincere, fake, nasty, bloviating, constipated, crooked, vile, evil, back stabbing, weak, anal, crass, deceptive, gross, horrible, jerky, lewd, mean, oily, putrid, quirky, ratfaced, sneaky, terrible, ugly, wicked, x-rated, senator I ever had the misfortune of living in the same state with. Martin Frost ran a close second here in Texas....thankfully, he's history!

[pollyannaish]

I'm glad I'm not the only one who thinks this is great. Not just because of the bad publicity—which is great of course—but because it shocked a little fight into the timid.

Woo-hoo.

[Radix]

The Dems are willing to engage in such tactics because they apparantly realize now that they cannot win elections.

It is simply a last ditch effort before they are exiled into complete and total obscurity.

[ottersnot]

I'd be happy to let all the truth see the light of day. All the intel from the 90's that Sandy Burgalar stuffed down his drawers would be a good appertif

Then a main course of Able Danger

Followed by a desert of Joe Wilson "This is your Life"

Audacious Mendacity....thy namesake is Democrat

[ottersnot]

"Reid and Schumer are petulant two year olds"

an apt description XFree State

[GeorgeW23225]

ROTFLMAO!!! :-)

[Prost1]

"Worse, he is also saying that in 1-1/2 years, he will revert to trusting Reid again."

No, he intends on resigning and possibly running for President.

The 1st part of the sentence is, by all reports, accurate.
The 2nd part is pure speculation given his inability to manage the senate.

[No Longer Free State]

Thanks. Come to think of it, Schemer's as single-minded as a two-year-old, too.

[GeorgeW23225]

Hopefully, Reid will go the way of Martin Frost. Into the ash heap of history.

See ya' later Harry, and don't let the door hit you in the *ss on the way out!!

[Jrabbit]

We lived in Boulder City...not far from Searchlight. ugh

My husband actually met the putrid Harry. He was working on a documentary about how the ranchers were getting royally screwed over the range land use. Harry was his usual slimey self. Doublespeak and politician all the way.

True story....a visiting activist/teacher from NY was telling a crowd of enviroweenies how she was taking pictures of the desert to take home to her students. She wanted them to see what cattle does to the land. How Nevada used to be a lush forest with meadows full of grass and flowers.....until the evil ranchers introduced cattle to the oasis! We have it on tape....

[America's Resolve]

Sometimes, ya gotta wonder just WHAT will clue these absolutely INEPT, SPINELESS GOP senators in!

Let me try a different tack here:

SENATOR FRIST: DEMOCRATS ARE LIARS, CHEATS, AND THIEVES! THEY HAVE NO ETHICS, SCRUPLES, MORALS OR HONOR! THEY HOLD NOTHING SACRED! THEY WOULD SELL THEIR MOMS LIKE $5 CRACK WHORES JUST FOR THE CHANCE TO STAB YOU IN THE BACK! WE'RE THE ENEMY TO THEM! IF YOU TRUST THEM, YOU'RE A BRAINLESS MORON!! *TAP TAP* "IS THIS THING ON????" HALLO????

What putzes!! Their base is itching for a fight, they have every reason TO fight, but they belly up every time a dem says a dirty word in their direction.

I just don't get it!

Well, yea I do I guess:

Prior to the open session, the senators agreed to appoint a six-member task force with three members from each party,

This is a VERY significant part of the problem. Why the Dems get 50-50 representation on committee's, comissions and task forces is beyond me!

WHO'S IN CHARGE UP THERE ANYWAYS????

Dunces, both parties.

[Gopher Broke]

Tell the Senate democrats what idiots they are for shutting down the Senate with this grandstanding, political stunt......

john_kerry@kerry.senate.gov
maria@cantwell.senate.gov
max@baucus.senate.gov
russell_feingold@feingold.senate.gov
senator@akaka.senate.gov
senator@bennelson.senate.gov
senator@biden.senate.gov
senator@conrad.senate.gov
senator@dorgan.senate.gov
senator@landrieu.senate.gov
senator@stabenow.senate.gov
senator_bingaman@bingaman.senate.gov
senator_byrd@byrd.senate.gov
senator_leahy@leahy.senate.gov
senator_murray@murray.senate.gov
tim@johnson.senate.gov
tom_harkin@harkin.senate.gov
vermont@jeffords.senate.gov

[JudgemAll]

No wonder Libby was indicted. He's a Democrat
---
Well, things get "stranger" everyday

As for Durbin worrying about his grandchildren, why is he indicting them then?

Pro-abortion democrats basicaly would stop short of nothing to appear guiltless in the rapes of their own.

[JudgemAll]

I guess if the American people were so exploited for their own interests....and now must be exploited again against their own interests this time "for the grandchildren", it leaves us with a simple solution: annoint a special American world dictator who will look into all these matters of duplicity, left-right, East West, North-South...works for me. And if we must disarm the "false prophets" of the GOP who mislead their followers, then all the power to their followers for retribution.

I call for a special solidarity tax, tax all democrats in solidarity payment for every Bush voter who was "mislead"!!!!!