Posted on 06/11/2006 6:13:04 PM PDT by Dubya
WASHINGTON - Texas Republican John Cornyn is unhappy with Bill Frist, the Senate majority leader from Tennessee, and he makes no secret of his displeasure.
"We could do better," Cornyn said last week.
The Texan's criticism came after the Senate approved an immigration bill that includes provisions to allow most illegal immigrants to stay in the United States while seeking citizenship.
Cornyn considers this amnesty and favors requiring illegal immigrants to return home before they could apply for legal status.
Frist, who may seek the Republican presidential nomination in 2008, helped shepherd the bill through the Senate, and President Bush backs its general thrust.
On another matter that might cause him to be gloomy, Cornyn was surprisingly upbeat. Asked about his first and only communications director, Don Stewart, leaving next month to work for Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., Cornyn said he sees a silver lining.
McConnell, the Senate majority whip, is favored to become majority leader if the GOP retains control of the chamber in the November elections.
Having Stewart in the leader's office as communications director "is sort of like having a sleeper cell that you can call into action," Cornyn quipped.
LOL
He seems to always be more interested in playing to the media instead of doing the job he was hired to do.
How do you spell Big Improvement?
Good on ya', John.
This doctor is way over his head in running the Senate. I'd be quite shocked if he ran for President.
Welcome to the club, Senator Cornyn!
If he gets in, I bet he's the frist one out. Sort of like poor Joe Lieberman or the loony welfare queen ex-senator from Illinois (whose name escapes me at the moment) last time around.
(Spelling error intentional.)
Cornyn is one of the few GOP Senators recruited by Rove who hasn't been a huge disappointment. I like him better now than when he was first elected. Most of the Rove RINOS have had just the opposite effect on me.
But, John, here's the problem. Without the RINOs, you don't have a majority. Without a majority, you can't get anything done. The RINOs don't want a conservative as Majority Leader. They're afraid he'll scare away all their RINO friends.
This is why the Majority Leaders have been weak-kneed like Bob Dole, Trent Lott and Bill Frist. They know the RINOs must be placated for the bills to pass and the RINOs leverage out most of the conservatism from the bill to pass it.
So a large tax cut becomes a drop in the bucket by the time the RINOs are done carving it up. Same thing for almost any conservative measure across the spectrum. The McCains and Specters of the Senate just shred it so it looks like nothing a conservative can support.
So, John, you won't get a conservative majority leader because there aren't enough of them around to form a quorum - even amongst your own party.
Yeah, sucks, I know. But, hey, at least you get some nice perks to go with your heartburn.
That's what I was thinking!
And .. if Frist is thinking about it .. somebody should inform him to give it up. The last thing we need as president is an appeasing coward.
That would likely set off a civil war within the party. I just don't see it happening - at least not on a large scale. And when are there ever 40 conservatives in the Senate to stage a filibuster? The Dems aren't going to help us.
Exactly right. At least John listens to his constituency, and understands we want to reclaim our state. The longer he's in office, the more I like him.
There might be more if the voters had a real choice between RINOs and Republicans in primary elections.
The Senate it a terrible place for a nice guy, especially with the over-abundance of animated pond scum like Ted Kennedy, Charles Schumer....let's cut the list here or I'll be her trhu the 4th of July.
It's a bummer. You vote in a really decent person and watch the liberal sharks circle in on him.
But that is hard to do when one side controls the party coffers. We've seen what happens when the conservative defeats the annointed RINO we Republicans are supposed to get behind. The GOP turns off the fundraising spigot and grumbles rather than getting behind the nominated party candidate. Ask Bret Shundler. Ask Bill Simon.
They'll do it to Katherine Harris if/when she wins her primary in Florida. Watch and see.
How do you spell Big Improvement?
NOT!
Are you familiar with McConnell's positions on immigration?
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