Posted on 03/18/2009 4:19:03 AM PDT by tobyhill
Democratic leaders scrambling to strip AIG executives of bonuses are having a hard time answering a key question: Why didn't Congress act to prevent the bonuses in the first place?
"There's always more we can do, and hindsight is 20/20," said Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid Tuesday.
But though some lawmakers did move to prevent bonuses in the stimulus bill last month, the final language actually makes an exception for pre-existing contracts, effectively exempting AIG.
Senate Banking Committee Chairman Chris Dodd, D-Connecticut, who originally proposed the executive compensation provision, said he did not include the exemption clause, which said new rules "shall not be construed to prohibit any bonus payment required to be paid pursuant to a written employment contract executed on or before February 11, 2009."
In an interview with CNN, Dodd denied inserting that exemption at the 11th hour, and insisted he doesn't know how it got there.
"When I wrote the language there was no such language like that," Dodd told CNN Tuesday.
(Excerpt) Read more at cnn.com ...
You do not know whether each and every one of those individuals met or exceeded the goals of his or her bonus agreement.
This is a Soviet kangaroo court!
And you the presumed conservative stand in the Coliseum hooting and clapping with the rest of the mob.
Sorry Toby. I must have searched just before you posted.
Check out the link in post #8.
I think this will be short lived, another 'crisis' will be created to make hay. I do not have a very high opinion of the collective memory of Americans, because the liberals lie every time they open their mouths.
IF Americans are concerned about bonuses they would have demanded the 'stimulus' ripoff be aborted.
ROFLMAO!! It must have been put in the bill by some fairy in the middle of the night, while everyone was asleep. LOL
It would be nice (for them), but too easily proven false.
Gotta’ be someone who was in office at the time. I’d rather it be B. Frank, but Dodd is the logical choice.
Can you just imagine if this were a Republican President and/or Congress? THAT is the real hypocrisy.
OUT LEADERS ARE A DISGRACE !
Barney, Madoff & Dodd
Three Peas in a Pod
Dodd said he “read every line”?
“Maybe one they use to bus kids from one side of a large city to another side.”
Could use one of those school buses sitting in a New Orleans bus depot.
Ah, so Dodd is either a liar, or incompetent, or both. Got it!
Trouble is, that it was done behind closed doors (wonder if the media will go after them like they did to Cheney when he met behind closed doors with oil executives)
Now people who were in the closed door meeting are accusing each other.
Looking forward to the tough Wolf Blitzer interview on this:
Blitzer: Senator Dodd, how did the AIG exemption get into the stimulus bill?
Senator Dodd: I dunno, bet it was something the Republicans did to embaress me.
Blitzer: There you have the breaking news on CNN, irrefutable statements that it was the Republicans on the Hill that are to blame for the insertion of a clause the exempted AIG from bonus restraint. Tune in as we dig deeper into this new Republican scandal.
Mr. Rush Limbaugh is leading the charge on this AIG kerfuffle, he is hitting it out of the park while the whiney Republicrats...will not attack the DRats but will eventually attack Rush.
Never forget the Rhino Senators: Lamar Alexander, Kit Bond, Susan Collins, Lindsey Graham, Judd Gregg, Jon Kyl, Richard Lugar, John McCain, Olympia Snowe, Arlen Specter and George Voinovich.
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