Senate & House Coverage -- (February 2007)

Feb 1, 2007

[Mo1]

Thank you, OXENinFLA for putting together the below comments and links!

.

All are welcome to join in

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 we will 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.

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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 ,Senate Republicans and Senate Democrats

And Monthly Calendars for the House and Roll Call Votes can be found here.

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OTHER LINKS

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Welcome to GovTrack.us

Congress.org

The Founders' Constitution

THE WHITE HOUSE

THE WAR DEPARTMENT (aka The Dept. of Defense)

LIVE DoD Briefings

NEWSEUM:TODAY'S FRONT PAGES

THE HILL

CNSNEWS

CANADIAN PARLIAMENT

[BigSkyFreeper]

That's it in a nutshell. :)

[Txsleuth]

BTTT

[Bahbah]

Captain Ed has some comments on Dingy's dilemma that I found interesting and thought you might too. "Harry Reid has a dilemma on his hands. His control over the Senate rests on a single vote; even if Senator Tim Johnson of South Dakota recovers enough to return to the Senate, the loss of one member of Reid's caucus will allow Dick Cheney to cast the deciding vote on control of the upper chamber. While this isn't news, an article posted yesterday by the New Yorker reveals that the debate on Iraq may push the Senate's only independent to rethink his loyalty: Lieberman’s Democratic colleagues know that if he switched parties they would lose their majority, and so they tend to indulge him, unless they are speaking to reporters off the record. This puts Harry Reid in a serious bind. His party came to power on an anti-war platform, a fact that several in his caucus have noted in the debate on the various resolutions that have been proposed. Their activist base has already made it clear that non-binding resolutions aren't what they had in mind when they pushed for the Democratic majority in the midterms, and a lack of progress on stopping the war in Iraq could lose them their majorities in either or both chambers in 2008. Unfortunately, unless Reid can get a Republican to switch caucuses, he has no choice but to limit their efforts to meaningless non-binding resolutions. Lieberman, smarting over the support given to Ned Lamont by Democrats he believed were his friends, now says that his loyalty to them has suffered serious damage. His "sentimental" attachment to the caucus extends only to the point of cutting off funding for the fight in Iraq. Not only would such an effort fail in the Senate -- it would require 60 votes to overcome the filibuster -- but it would effectively hand over control of the Senate to the GOP and Mitch McConnell. Republicans such as John McCain have dared the Senate Democrats to take an action with real meaning in opposition to the war, claiming correctly that "sense of the Senate" votes do nothing to end the war on any terms but instead embarrass the White House and demoralize the troops. Unfortunately, anything else more substantive in the next two years will require them to relinquish their slender majority -- and the Democrats do not appear willing to make that sacrifice." How ironic that the actions of the dems made Lieberman the most powerful man in the Senate on the most important issue facing us.

[Mo1]

Schedule date: Tuesday, February 6, 2007

CSPAN 1

09:00 AM EST
0:30 (est.) LIVE
Meeting
Democratic National Committee Meeting
Democratic National Committee
James Zogby , Arab American Institute
Lottie H. Shackelford , Democratic National Committee


09:30 AM EST
0:30 (est.) LIVE
Call-In
U.S. Policy Toward Iraq
C-SPAN, Washington Journal
Susan Davis , D-CA


10:30 AM EST
1:00 (est.) LIVE
House Proceeding
Morning Hour
U.S. House of Representatives
The beginning and end of this live program may be earlier or later than the scheduled times.


12:00 PM EST
8:00 (est.) LIVE
House Proceeding
House Session
U.S. House of Representatives
The beginning and end of this live program may be earlier or later than the scheduled times.



CSPAN 2

09:21 AM EST
0:36 (est.)
News Conference
Fiscal Year 2008 Defense Budget
Department of Defense, Briefing Room
Tina Jonas , Department of Defense
Steve Stanley , U.S. Navy


10:00 AM EST
2:30 (est.) LIVE
Senate Proceeding
Senate Session
U.S. Senate
The beginning and end of this live program may be earlier or later than the scheduled times.


07:00 AM EST
0:30 (est.) LIVE
Foreign Legislature
Question Time
British House of Commons
Tony Blair , Labour, United Kingdom



CSPAN 3


09:30 AM EST
3:00 (est.) LIVE
Senate Committee
Fiscal Year 2008 Defense Budget
Armed Services
Carl Levin , D-MI
Peter Pace , Joint Chiefs of Staff
The beginning and end of this live program may be earlier or later than the scheduled times.


02:15 PM EST
5:45 (est.) LIVE
Senate Proceeding
Senate Session
U.S. Senate
The beginning and end of this live program may be earlier or later than the scheduled times.

[Mo1]

Reid and Durbin made a lot of threats yesterday ... if they don't hold up their promises, it will further tick off their base

[Mo1]

Mitch McConnel will be on Laura Ingram's show later to talk about what happen in the senate yesterday

[Bahbah]

Good. I'm listening to her this morning.

I think she has Major Garrett on now. He did a good job of explaining the shenanigans in the senate.

[Bahbah]

They are off and running and the whining has begun.

Leaky inserts an article by E.J. Dionne into the Congressional Record.

And Happy Birthday, President Reagan.

[Txsleuth]

That is VERY true...

Also...I think that Hillary said enough in her speech last Friday...that the anti-war crowd are going to be nagging at her also.

Gen. Casey was just favorably reported out of the Armed Forces Committee...

[Bahbah]

Mikulski bravely comes out for the Warner/Levin resolution and she "wuz robbed" by not being allowed to vote on the "escalation."

She admits it's a first step toward bringing the troops home. (Her wiggling chins are very distracting.)

[Bahbah]

Mikulski is talking about the failure of half of the Iraqi troops to show up in Baghdad.

That is disappointing.

[Txsleuth]

Warner asking Pace and Gates about extra troops necessary for the "surge".

Kennedy up: Back to issue of number of troops...talking about the "hidden surge" of the POTUS'

48,000...that is the questions...Americans want to know honestly what are the numbers...the Pres. mentions one figure all other depts mention different number.

He keeps saying it is the "American people" are asking these questions...lol.

Gates: We think the 5 brigades putting forward comprise of 21,500...which WE think INCLUDES the support people...and we don't know where the CBO has come up with almost double the number..

Kennedy is saying the DOD's practices in the PAST do this.

He wants the figures and costs for THIS engagement...is it the PRESIDENT'S number of CBO (they want to peg Bush with lying)...

Pace: Perhaps 9500...but those people could have other capacities...so it will at most 2000 to 2500 for support as MAX....

Kennedy..so we are looking at 25,000.

[Txsleuth]

Kennedy: Asking about whether the new troops going over there are trained properly...and will have enough equipment

Pace: Yes they will be fully trained...and have what they need in equipment.

[Txsleuth]

LOL.....I saw Mikulski get upset a second ago...and she was shaking like jello. LOL

[Bahbah]

What a contrast between Cornyn and Mikulski. They don't look like the same species.

Cornyn points out that the debate on Iraq is obviously going forward.

[Txsleuth]

BINGO..finally someone has come out and pointed to the OBVIOUS...that as all of these people complain about the big bad GOP keeping them from debating...that is ALL they were DOING!!!

McCain up...Gates just said the "surge" was supposed to start yesterday...but will be put off a few days..and be more of a "rolling surge".

Gates said he will make sure that he will update them as soon and as often as possible...McCain happy.

McCain: do you have enough troops for Afghanistan.

Gates: yessir...explaining how many and where. He is going to a NATO ministerial tomorrow to get the other countries to have them send more and help more.

McCain: He wants him to tell NATO to do more re: ROE...pfffft committments to judiciary.

McCain: asking Pace about the difference between what Casey requested 2 brigades...and Presidents' plan.

Pace: Casey's was for 2 brigades for Anbar Prove....after discussing with JOINT chiefs...they decided to have more to handle more areas...and when told, Casey agreed, but he didn't REQUEST the additional.

McCain: what do you explain as the discrepency...

Pace: Clearly, where we were going was not what was needed, and after talking with Casey, Abizaid and joint chiefs, we decided it was necessary to go with more.

McCain: I just can't understand if Casey thought that only 2 was enough....even though he agreeed to more, why we are NOT being asked to approve him for Sec. of Army, since you had to change his mind from what HE thought was enough.

BYRD: I was against the war from the beginning.

AUDIENCE APPLAUDS...LOL

Byrd: How long will be in Iraq before we begin to bring out people home...how much longer are you planning for, sir.

Gates: It is hard to make a prediction when our adversaries get a VOTE (yes)...

When the Iraqis step up and start asserting their leadership and fighting....IF they do that, then maybe we can start by the end of this year...but it all depends on what is happening on the ground.

PROTESTOR!!! Levin telling her to sit down.

BYRD; RIGHT WE MEAN BUSINESS!!! lolololol

Byrd; When can we begin to bring our troops home??

UGH Gates: If circumstances go right..hopefully by the end of this year.

[Txsleuth]

I messed up on that last post.

McCain wanted to know why they were being asked TO approve Casey as Sec. of Army...if he was satisfied with the 2 brigades but the rest of the Joint chiefs said he was wrong.

I typed on that post that they were asked NOT to vote for him....that was obviously wrong on my part.

Sorry.

[Txsleuth]

Thune talking with Coburn behind him....GOOD PICTURE!! LOL

[Txsleuth]

Kennedy up on the floor....talking about how honorably the troops have served.

(we know, TED...YOU are the one that hasn't served honorably).

[Bahbah]

I'll say it again...I really appreciate your reporting on these hearings.

Kennedy speaking now. That thing on his face is not getting any better.

De-escalation is the only strategy. Mentions civil war, of course. Says the other side is trying to avoid a debate...LOL...while the debate proceeds.

Bush is taking the money for the war from children's health. (The beast).