Posted on 02/01/2006 6:09:12 AM PST by OXENinFLA
Since "Free Republic is an online gathering place for independent, grass-roots conservatism on the web. We're working to roll back decades of governmental largesse, to root out political fraud and corruption, and to champion causes which further conservatism in America.", I and others think it's a good idea to centralize what the goes on in the Senate (or House).
So if you see something happening on the Senate/House floor and you don't want to start a new thread to ask if anyone else just heard what you heard, you can leave a short note on who said what and about what and I'll try and find it the next day in THE RECORD. Or if you see a thread that pertains to the Senate, House, or pretty much any GOV'T agency please link your thread here.
If you have any suggestions for this thread please feel free to let me know.
Here's a few helpful links.
C-SPAN what a great thing. Where you can watch or listen live to most Government happenings.
C-SPAN 1 carries the HOUSE.
C-SPAN 2 carries the SENATE.
C-SPAN 3 (most places web only) carries a variety of committee meetings live or other past programming.
OR FEDNET has online feed also.
A great thing about our Government is they make it really easy for the public to research what the Politicians are doing and saying (on the floor anyway).
THOMAS where you can see a RECORD of what Congress is doing each day. You can also search/read a verbatim text of what each Congressmen/women or Senator has said on the floor or submitted 'for the record.' [This is where the real juicy stuff can be found.]
Also found at Thomas are Monthly Calendars for the Senate Majority and Senate Minority
And Monthly Calendars for the House Majority and Roll Call Votes can be found here.
THE WAR DEPARTMENT (aka The Dept. of Defense)
He needs something. His heart is in the right place. He has strength and goodness and a vision, but the delivery is ragged and not smooth. We do need some help here.
I have to get this off my chest...right before I left my daughter's house, I watched the first part of Brit's show...and they were showing clips of Senators coming out of the intelligence meetings today with Michael Hadley and Alberto Gonzalez...
Every single one of them...except Pat Roberts, was upset that they didn't get more information..Feinstein was particularly whiney...but, DeWine wasn't happy, and Graham is also calling for more legislation to make the NSA wiretapps "more legal"...LOL
BUT, each one kept saying that "no one doesn't want us to be able to intercept terrorist's calls"..blah, blah...
BUT, the worst moment came, when they showed a clip of Rockefeller...and he said, "they THINK that having this meeting will keep us from starting an investigation into the spying, but it isn't"...he sneered really nastily...
And I just fumed driving home..because I keep remembering the memo he wrote...planning on setting Bush up..but, knowing that there is pretty good evidence that HE may be the one that leaked this story....is just more than I could take...
Okay...I feel better...rant over.
Well, he was a one term Governor, and a very new Senator...so he hasn't had that much experience, I guess.
I just keep hearing those idiots on AirAmerika referring to him as Gomer Pyle..and I cringe..NOT because he is that bad..but, that after Bush (who I love, warts and all)..
it would just be really hard, I think, for someone less polished to NOT get ridiculed.
I don't know that it should make a difference...ANYONE we pick will be ridiculed by the left..they are just so superior, but, it is awful having a "conservative" talk show host like Tony, tear down Bush after every speech...
so, I don't know if I want to go through that again..LOL
If defconw gets a job on Senator Allen's staff, she'd better remember ME! I will move to DC for the duration. lol
That was nothing more than constructive criticism. We all cringe because we love the man. We want him to but his best foot forward and we are actually doing our best to help in whatever way we can. Criticism in the effort to get good people elected is no sin.
I didn't post that... ???
Sorry, Fuddie. It was Txsleuth who posted that. I wasn't suggesting that you did.
SENATE - Friday, Feb 10, 2006
9:30 a.m.: Convene and begin a period of morning business.
Thereafter, resume consideration of S. 852, the Asbestos Claims bill.
Previous Meeting
Thursday, Feb 9, 2006
The Senate convened at 9:30 a.m. and adjourned at 8:28 p.m. One record vote was taken.
This should be interesting...
Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, over the last several weeks and months, we have run into a situation where executive nominations are brought to the floor, but they are being held up for a final vote for reasons that are totally unrelated to those individuals and the positions they seek.Contrast with the handling of Myers (out of Judiciary Committee since March 17) and Boyle (out of Judiciary Committee since June 16).It has been done historically to some extent, but it is done in a way that one Member--not necessarily a Democrat or Republican but a Member in this body--uses that nomination in some way to focus attention on an issue or focus attention on something they need or want. Therefore, it can be very useful leverage for an individual Senator, but it has now gotten to the point that it is unfair to that individual. We have public servants who are dedicating their lives and have been nominated by the President of the United States for executive positions, and then they are being stopped or held up for this unrelated matter. And, therefore, in a systematic way we were going to address that.
Yesterday, on one such event, I filed a cloture motion on the nomination of Eric Edelman to be Under Secretary of Defense for Policy. Mr. Edelman had been reported out of the Armed Services Committee on July 29 of last year, 2005--came out of that Armed Services Committee and has been held up by someone on the other side of the aisle since that time.
In order to overcome that, I filed a cloture motion to ensure that the Senate was able to act on that nomination. We did that last night. That vote would have occurred tomorrow morning on cloture, and, because it is one person holding up Mr. Edelman, we would have gotten cloture and then it would have required a rollcall vote.
I understand that the other side has agreed to vitiate the cloture vote, and has agreed to a voice vote now--this evening--instead of requiring that cloture vote tomorrow and a rollcall vote. Our side appreciates that, and I think most Senators appreciate that since the vote would have probably been 100 to 0 if we had that vote.
What all this means is we will finally be able to move forward on a nomination, and we are not going to have to have a vote tomorrow. Some of my colleagues have said that we are expecting a vote tomorrow, and you are going to have a vote that we need to have the vote. On the other hand, since cloture can be vitiated with this unanimous consent, we will go ahead and approve it by a voice vote.
The larger issue is we need to systematically address executive nominations which are being held up for unrelated reasons.
Again, Mr. Edelman came out on July 29, and already we are in early February of 2006.
Frist will argue that this being an "executive nomination," it deserves different treatment from "judicial nominations," which due to lifetime tenure are more important, or some similar excuse to justify continued inaction on the nominations.
I can't help but wish that these Senators would have to sit in front of a group of US to have to listen to US slam them...and grill them...and critsize them...on the lousy jobs THEY do...
They bitch about how Bush needs oversight...but, I am sick of their holier than thou attitudes and proclamations of wrongdoing by everyone but themselves.
Michael Brown Testifies before Congress (LIVE THREAD)
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1575859/posts
Flip on C2...Sessions up on the NSA.
Calling some senators CHILDREN
I was just going to post...Sessions is saying what should have been said a couple weeks ago..
Dang!!
I miss all the good stuff
Thanks for the ping. Good for Senator Cute-as-a-Button. I was thinking about Jane Harmon's support for the NSA program (even though her "leadership" got her to back off a bit. Where was the plane that was taken down in PA headed? Would the terrorists want to destroy the White House on a day the President wasn't even going to be there? And even if they killed the President (I can hardly even bear to write that), we have a fast and orderly procedure to replace him. I think they wanted to kill as many members of congress as possible. THAT would really disrupt government. I think Harmon's strong support for the NSA program is a direct result of her wanting to save her own rearend. Just my two cents.
I agree with you...and I bet that Harman would not think this is the vehicle for the dems to hang their "impeach Bush" hopes on.
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