Posted on 09/05/2009 4:44:47 PM PDT by rabscuttle385
The senator's partial term was marked by frustration and failure, experts say.
BY WILLIAM MARCH
TAMPA - Mel Martinez may go down in Florida history as the reluctant senator.
During his short Senate career, from 2005 until this week, Martinez took stands on principle and stuck loyally by his friends, particularly President George W. Bush, even when it hurt him politically.
But circumstances and his own mistakes conspired to mark his partial term with much frustration and little accomplishment, experts in Congress say.
In an interview last week, Martinez acknowledged that frustration.
"It is true," he said. "The Senate works in decades — a very slow process." But he added, "I feel I had some successes, and I feel good about those."
Even some of the successes he cited, however, didn't quite succeed.
. . . . .
Another was immigration reform.
The Senate's only immigrant, Martinez worked out a bipartisan compromise with Bush, the late Sen. Ted Kennedy and Sen. John McCain. He became Senate point-man on the issue.
The result: The base of his party pilloried him, saying he promoted amnesty. McCain backed away from the bill under pressure during the presidential campaign, and it failed.
Martinez said he's proud of the effort.
"Whenever this issue comes back, the work will begin with that bill," he said. "I think 85 percent of what passes will be what's in this bill."
(Excerpt) Read more at 2.tbo.com ...
Epic fail.
Stumbled my patute!!!!
They fell flat on their faces in a huge mud puddle. Very few were left clean on this one.
Martinez is a shameless money grubber. I’m sure he made lots of new connections while serving in the Senate. Now he’s off to make money from them
“I’ll do all I can to ensure a democrat ahhhhh ...
a republican wins in November."
Said former Republican National Committee chairman Senator Mel Martinez to Alan Colmes on Faux News last night, January 29, 2008.
Well, you have one success to chalk up Mel.
What an Ingrate this worthless POS should be in Cuba NOT HERE.
and another on the same note
We need more pro-amnesty Hispandering RINOS like I need a hole in the head.
Goodbye and good riddance. Don’t let the door hit you on the way out!
RINO SELLOUT!
To many Hispanic political figures put their race before principle.
As an immigrant (legal) I wrote several letters to mel, but only got the usually standard template return letter with NO answer!!!
True!!!
I am not aware of an exception to what you said are you?
Mel Martinez is a RINO turd and a terrible senator.
I wouldn’t trade a sack of dirt for this assclown.
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What a worthless POS this guy has been, Why is he here??
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