Posted on 11/01/2005 4:59:00 PM PST by 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.
Is there a GOP rule that one has to be this clueless to run for Senate?
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"
What a@@hole!!!Fitzgerald HIMSELF said the indictment had NOTHING to do with the Iraq war! Let's just hope that they overreach as they usually do! I say Republican Senators better start taking to the floor NOW and counter these absolutely FALSE assertions by Reid, et al. Frist's anger better be more than words here...start retaliating Reid's lies with TRUTH!
Totally agree...I think the repubs got the senate confused between the country club and the senate dems.
And for that matter, Spiro Agnew was indicted in 1973, as well as several other Watergate figures who held positions at least as high as Libby.
High level Clintonistas usually got caught up in the Arkancide epidemic just before indictments were handed down.
Well, of course. Trusting 'Rats, or any politician, is pretty stupid.
Also stupid is for a White House staffer to commit perjury before a grand jury, thus giving the 'Rats an issue to flog.
Memo to Frist. There's a reason we call em dirty, sneaky, RATS!!!
Kind of the same as the Michigan Affirmative Discrimination opinion by O'Connor? You know, the one who was ok for 25 years?
Frist, after grabbing his ankles yet again, is surprised to learn that Harry then uses him like Lucky Pierre.
Pathetic.
While that certainly explains why Frist is not to be trusted with a leadership role.
Oh Puhleeeeeeeeeeeze! *rolls eyes* Reid has got to be the biggest drama queen I've ever seen.... Well... besides little Tommy D...
Oh, I guess that's why Repubs are STILL in power, gaining seats every term, The MSM/dems are losing viewers, the absolute irrelevence increase with virtually eavery breath because the NEW TONE "hasn't worked?!"
Take an idea that's proven to work and go opposite from what the reality has been, more seat for REPUBLICANS.
The New Tone hasn't worked is the epidemy of idiocy, and kneejerk stupidity!
I wonder if this extreme maneuver by the Dems makes it easier now for the Republicans to use the "nuclear option" if the need arises.
The gentlefolk who spent an amazing amount of their lives telling us about the Senate being the "saucer that cools" (blah blah blah) during the Clinton impeachment hearings threw a temper tantrum today because the two-year, politically driven investigation into what really happened when their churl, Valerie Plame's boy-toy, lied about his CIA employment didn't result in a witch hunt against Carl Rove or the "neocon conspiracy." When the little brats didn't get their way, they dragged the Senate out of the conservatory, right past the playpen, and into the pigpen. Reid and Schumer are petulant two year olds, and their true colors are finally showing through.
If they pull this stunt again, here's what I want to see: Republican Senators demanding closed door sessions to demand investigations into: Hillary Clinton's fundraising, Chuckie Schemer's DSCC's theft of Mike Steele's financial records, Kerry & Kennedy outing a REAL undercover CIA agent on the floor of a Senate hearing room, Chappaquidick, New Jersey governors and senators, and Barbara Boxer's existence. One a day between now and Christmas ought to do it.
The problem was/is he trusted him in the first place.....
Fitzmas turned out to be Fitzadan and the 'Rats were faced with more power fasting. Then came Alitoween and they became crazed with hunger for power.
While --> Well. How did that happen? LOL
"Reid said Libby was the highest level official to be indicted in some 130 years,..."
BULL!
Try the scum from the Clinton administration, including Web Hubbell. Try Spiro Agnew, try Cap Weinberger, try so many more. Does NO ONE call the Dems on their lies?
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