Posted on 11/12/2006 4:19:37 AM PST by KeyLargo
Durbin Asks Bush To Put Partisanship Behind Him
Bob Roberts Reporting
CHICAGO (WBBM) -- The Democrats are talking co-operation with President Bush, but already there is evidence that controversial legislation backed by the Bush administration won't move forward.
WBBM's Bob Roberts reports.
President Bush has asked the lame-duck Congress to give him legislation that would specifically authorize the wiretapping of foreign phone calls and computer traffic of suspected terrorists.
The issue came up Friday during a meeting hosted by the President with Sen. Harry Reid (D-Nev.) and Dick Durbin (D-Ill.).
Instead, Durbin told WBBM Saturday, he is asking Mr. Bush to try something less controversial.
"We need to find more partnership and put behind the partisanship of the past," Durbin said. "I think we can do it. I suggested yesterday in the meeting, let's have some confidence-builders. Take some issues out that we agree on first and let's get them passed to prove to the American people that we can come together."
Durbin said agreement could come in areas where they has been confrontation in the past, such as judicial nominees.
"We encouraged him to send us moderate, centrist people and we would gladly approve them -- and do it quickly," he said.
Durbin made it clear he would rather wait until next year to look at more controversial issues.
"We just don't want to break down into a fight," he said. "There are so many things we need to do for this country and this economy."
After the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, Mr. Bush ordered the National Security Agency to monitor communications potentially related to al-Qaida between people in the U.S. and those overseas. He bypassed normal requirements for court approval of such eavesdropping, and the program came under harsh criticism after it was disclosed last December by The New York Times.
Democrats and Republicans on the intelligence and judiciary committees spent much of the year trying to find out details from the administration, to little avail. Much of the information is classified, and the White House has insisted that revealing it would mean compromising the war on terrorism.
The House passed a bill in September to allow warrantless wiretaps under certain restrictions. House and Senate intelligence committees and congressional leaders would have to be notified, the president would have to believe that a terrorist attack is imminent, and certification would have to be renewed every 90 days.
A Republican measure in the Senate favored by the administration would require the Justice Department to report twice a year to the House and Senate intelligence committees the number and kind of any such operations. It would permit the surveillance to continue for up to one year without a warrant. --- The House bill is H.R. 5825; the Senate bill is S. 3931.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b7FaSEQ-fKc
Mr. Durbin said, "If I read this to you and did not tell you that it was an FBI agent describing what Americans had done to prisoners in their control, you would most certainly believe this must have been done by Nazis, Soviets in their gulags, or some mad regime -- Pol Pot or others -- that had no concern for human beings. Sadly, that is not the case. This was the action of Americans in the treatment of their prisoners."
WORTH REPEATING.
Bush should put partisan politics behind him?
I wish Bush had been more partisan! We might have won these elections.
This statement was completely burried by the media, then and since then. This is now the man who will be the number 2 in the US Senate. Shameful. But I would hope that the pubbies will finally grow a spine and demonstrate some strength. These words should never be forgotten and they should be brought up on the senate floor by pubbies whenever possible to get them in the public eye. Dems are weak on terror and americans must be reminded of this for the 08 elections. Had the republicans run an ad nationawide that used words like these and a slogan of Support those who blame america or support those who blame the terrorists the message would have been clear. Why we didn't do that is beyond me.
When is Durbin up for reelection anyway????
why is it Bush and republicans are always the partisans and have to put partisanship behind...what will the lib/dems compromise except that maybe women won't have to wear burhkas?.....this "bi-partisanship" will be the delling out and demise of the US!!!
Hilarious.
THE most partisan jerk in the Senate is asking for "less partisanship"!!??
THIS is the guy who called our soldiers Nazis!!!
The SCUM BAG.
"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." -Manuel II Paleologus
"With the recent election and democratic take over of congress, Sen. Dick Durbin said he sees change coming.
"The political dynamic has changed in Washington," Durbin said. "President Bush cannot accomplish his agenda without us."
Yep, no Partisanship Dick.
http://www.nbc5.com/news/10299071/detail.html
You have got to be s****** me! The nerve of that SOB to suggest that BUSH should put partisanship behind him!
So, whoever said Durbin was in touch with reality?
If I was President Bush, I would hold a press conference to explain why Durban is not welcome in the Oval Office.
It actually appears that Durban is asking Bush to take a more even handed approach to Islamo-nazis, a bi-partisan approach, if you will. It would seem that to Durban we are treating Amrica's enemies unfairly, by singling them out for harsher treatment than we accord our friends and allies.
Here's a rhetorical question: How can moral turds like this collect votes?
The "bipatisan" move by the dems will last only so long as they get everything from the Pres. they want signed into law, and then it will be "off with his head" to impeachment .
Really? Like what? What would you do about 4.4% unemployment? Or the DOW at 12,000? Or gas down to $2.25 a gallon? I think we're all much better off if you keep your grubby little Marxist fingerprints off this economy, Mr. Durbin.
Mark
That is just what i needed to hear!
Thanks for the laugh!
Dickie and Harry are the face of the Dem Party--partisanship?--Theirs is one of the pictures in the dictionary defining partisanship.
People who voted Dem because the Dems ran a fairly conservative local Democrat to beat the Republican--i.e. Casey, Webb, do not seem to have a clue what they have wrought. These conservative Dems do not have a chance at leadership--the Dem party is totally in the hands of the far left wingers.
So "moderates,self proclaimed true conservatives, and disgruntled Repubs"--
here is a short list of what you have wrought: John Bolton, the most effective UN rep we have ever had is out; forget any more conservative Supreme Court justices--the Dems now think they have a mandate to select them instead of letting the Pres.select; forget homeland security--they want to do away with wiretapping and meaningful interrogation; they want habeus corpus for every breathing human including foreign combatants, in spite of Article 1, Section 9 of the Constitution, which plainly states the PRIVILEGE of habeus corpus can be suspended in cases of invasion or US security. Personally, I believe we were invaded on 9-11 and it continues today according to intelligence. And then there is amnesty, which both the Pres. and Dems agree on. 20 million new, mostly non-English speaking citizens are waiting to have their citizenship services done in Spanish and then wil breing over 40 million more relatives, plus the flow over the borders. Thenks all who showed the Repubs
like J.D. Hayworth of Ariz. the door.
Yep! The voters really showed the Repubs. It's known as cutting off your nose to spite your face. I just hope we don't bleed to death from the cut.
vaudine
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.