Posted on 03/13/2007 2:15:14 PM PDT by pissant
It is difficult to change Rep. Duncan Hunter’s mind. House leadership officials and the White House have found that out the hard way.
When they wanted him to vote for a pending trade bill last year, Hunter (R-Calif.) refused — again and again. And when the Bush administration tried to convince the powerful Armed Services Committee on its controversial port security plan, Hunter refused to budge.
Twisting Hunter’s arm is impossible, his close friends say.
“The politics of the process does not really concern him,” said Rep. John McHugh (R-N.Y.), his colleague on the House Armed Services Committee who has known Hunter for 14 years. “He’ll never refuse to listen and works hard to build a base of support” for his ideas.
That has made Hunter predictable to his party, but sometimes also an unwieldy force to the Bush administration.
He refuses to vote for free-trade agreements even when the administration and leadership officials are angling for each and every vote, as was the case with the Central America Free Trade Agreement.
And Hunter, whom many call a protectionist, was instrumental in scuttling a deal that would have given the operations at six major U.S. ports to Dubai Ports World, a company owned by the United Arab Emirates.
“He was shocked that the administration approved the deal,” said Rep. Jim Saxton (R-N.J.), a senior member of Hunter’s committee and a close friend. Saxton worked with Hunter to introduce legislation blocking the deal and revising the foreign-investment process to ensure national security.
“On the Dubai issue, he got all fired up,” a congressional source said. Hunter gathered information to prove that Dubai has not been trustworthy — despite repeated administration assertions that the UAE is a vital ally in the war on terrorism.
It is not often that a guest on a TV news program has the boldness to put the interviewer’s political-activism past in the open, but Hunter wasn’t one to shy away. He made sure to point out, three times, that George Stephanopoulos, the host of ABC’s “This Week,” had worked for President Clinton, who supported the Dubai Ports deal.
“I don’t think President Clinton, your old boss, knows the facts of the transshipment that take place through Dubai sending nuclear components to all parts of the world,” Hunter told Stephanopoulos, in one of the references to Clinton.
Fighting for national security and the men and women in uniform is Hunter’s guiding mantra, according to those who know him well.
At a time when some GOP members are starting to cast doubts on the situation in Iraq, Hunter has been a steadfast supporter of Bush’s approach to the Middle Eastern country.
“I think we are going to be as successful as we were in … [disassembling] the Soviet empire, as successful as we were in bringing democracy to nations in Central America,” said Hunter, who went on several delegations to Iraq.
Hunter opposes troop withdrawal from Iraq until U.S. commanders feel that Iraqi forces have been adequately trained to defend the country.
The Armed Services Committee chairman also became the administration’s defender of U.S. conduct at military-detainee facilities at a time when human rights organizations, internal FBI and military reports, and lawmakers were decrying the inhumane treatment of detainees at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
Almost a year ago, Hunter went to the grocery store to buy the groceries and cooking supplies for the famous orange-glazed chicken and lemon-baked fish from the menu served at Guantanamo Bay.
Hunter held a press conference with the meal, saying at the time, “We treat [the prisoners] very well.”
He also called the criticism of the prisoners’ treatment “wild accusations.”
“Duncan is a very bright and dedicated individual, and when he has the ability to be creative for the forces that ups the power surge,” said Rep. Robin Hayes (R-N.C.), one of Hunter’s closest friends and a member of his committee. “If he were an atomic-energy clock, the energy would come from the men and women in uniform.”
“He is just a passionate person who sees it like he sees it,” said Rep. Christopher Shays (R-Conn.), a centrist who fought for a provision seeking greater controls of detainee treatment in the House. “Congress needs Chairman Hunter. It is not my voice, but people need to hear from people like him,” he said.
Hunter dropped out of college to join the Army and fight in Vietnam. He was awarded the Bronze Star for his service in 24 helicopter combat assaults in Vietnam.
But to this day, Hunter refuses to go back to Vietnam, and according to a source he said that the only way he would come face to face with a Vietnamese is “at the end of my rifle.”
Hunter did not return calls for an interview by press time.
Hunter is a strong supporter of increased defense spending, ensuring the military it has what it needs to fight wars and to transform. While Hunter is seen as a defense hawk ready to dole out money for various programs, the defense industry has mixed feelings about the chairman.
Hunter is a strong “Buy American” supporter. Buy American rules mandate that at least 50 percent of all work on defense contracts be completed domestically.
He also guards the principles of the so-called Berry Amendment, which mandates that all specialty metals going into military weapons systems be made in the United States.
“Hunter comes by these ideas very honestly,” an industry source said. “He has never been in the position to pull this stuff until he became chairman,” but Hunter “has not grown to recognize the reality of global trade and global commerce,” the source added.
His views are so strict that Hunter refuses to get into a foreign-made car. “He can be Detroit’s poster child,” said a source familiar with the congressman.
Hunter voted for only one trade agreement, when Bush first was elected president, Saxton recalled. “He was anguished,” said Saxton, who stood next to him while Hunter voted.
“Mr. Bush is my president, and I have to do this,” Saxton remembered Hunter saying. He voted for the bipartisan trade-promotion authority act, but later, when it was rolled into a larger bill, the Trade Act of 2002, Hunter voted against it.
You're right on!
Hunter is a liberal and the lovefest will end soon.
You keep missing the point. Do I need a sledge hammer? Regulating interstate gambling is no more or less a gross violation of the constitution than any of those other activities. None are expressly forbidden nor allowed.
Just as normal societies would be expected to regulate or ban prostitution, they have always regulated or banned some forms of gambling. You now have more gambling options in this country than ever before, and you complain about it.
Many states had lotteries and many states banned them. The feds imposed regulations on them a number of times and they all but disappeared for 70 years.
You can't be as stupid as that statement.
Yes it is.
Wow the left will hate this guy. I love him.
Both the Senate and House of Representatives passed the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act, which would create new enforcement tools to prevent or interdict gambling on the Internet. The House approved the bill almost unanimously as an attachment to the Security and Accountability for Every Port (SAFE) Act (H.R. 4954) on September 30, and the Senate quickly followed with a voice vote on the measure. While Internet gambling is already an illegal activity in the United States, Americans send an estimated $5.9 billion annually to offshore gambling websites. The new legislation, however, chokes business revenues by prohibiting financial institutions from approving transactions between U.S.-based customer accounts and offshore gambling merchants, thereby making it difficult for people to send money to online gaming coffers. Further, a person who knowingly accepts funds for unlawful Internet gambling could be punished by up to five years in prison. Sen. Jon Kyl (R-AZ) and Rep. Jim Leach (R-IA) are the chief sponsors of the legislation. President Bush signed the bill into law October 13.
I assume this is what you are squawking about.
They just shredded the constitution with this one. Just like those nasty child porn laws.
He was against it before he was for it (sound familiar?). And this is just the tip of the ice berg:
http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20051208/news_lz1ed08top.html
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/metro/20051204-9999-1n4adcs.html
http://www.tpmmuckraker.com/archives/cats/duncan_hunter/
(Yeah, I know, they are all liberal rags.) No wonder he voted against all 19 of the "Flake Anti-Pork Amendments."
Better read up a bit more on the history of internet prohibitions on gambling. There were already restrictions in place. Enjoy.
Yeah, ol Hunter has just been one busy guy hoodwinking the Pentagon. LOL.
Nice try. Notice he was investigated and charged with zilch. The same guys were supporters of Arnie, Bush and many other GOPers, yet only one got nailed for bribes. And he sits in jail.
Hunter is as straight of an arrow as you are gonna find. But happy digging. Please post everything you find for commentary. Insinuations don't become you.
List the amendments and let's take a look at them. Also list all the roll call votes so we can see how others voted on them.
If I were a Democrat I would be praying to the Moonbats that Republicans nominate Hunter as their presidental candidate, not because there is any proof that Hunter has actually done anything wrong or corrupt, but because there is enough out there to make him look like he's as corrupt as Duke Cunningham.
Now that is a fair enough argument. One held by more than a few folks here. I disagree, but you know that already. So onward we go, slugging it out for who should lead the GOP. As it should be.
Since Labyrinthos will not provide links and information for his line of propaganda, lets take a look at Flakes 'anti-pork' legislation. First, his amendments didn't pass. Most republicans voted against them. I have not found the text of each of the 19, but there must be a reason they were not accepted. One has to wonder about these posters who complain against the republican majority, not to mention sighting the club for growth, which is not conservative.
http://www.clubforgrowth.org/2006/07/435_districts_435_blogs_agains.php
Here are just a few of the other Republicans who voted the same way as Hunter. I assume Labyrinthos would not vote for them either??
Blunt (MO -7) 0 of 19 0%
R Boehner (OH-8) 0 of 19 0%
R Goode (VA-5) 0 of 19 0%
R Hyde (IL-6) 0 of 19 0%
R King, P. (NY-3) 0 of 19 0%
R McCaul (TX-10) 0 of 19 0%
R Mica (FL-7) 0 of 19 0%
R Smith, L. (TX-21) 0 of 19 0%
R Weldon, C. (PA-7) 0 of 19 0%
With people like you helping the left to promote such rumors.
Again, here is the disclosure of Hunters 'gift' getting. There is no THERE, there.
DUNCAN HUNTER (R-CA) Personal Financial Disclosures Summary: 2005 Total Number of Trips 1 Number of Trips by MEMBER 0 Number of Trips by STAFF 1 Total Cost $600.00
Agreements for Future Employment: 0 Compensation: 0 Gifts Received: 0 (Amount: $0) Payments to Charitable Organizations in lieu of Honoraria: 0 (Amount: $0)
http://www.opensecrets.org/politicians/pfds.asp?CID=N00006983
Also, Titan gave a lot more to Bush/Cheney and Mel Martinez than they ever gave to Hunter. Jeb Bush as well has profited.
http://www.city-data.com/elec/elec-MELBOURNE-BEACH-FL.html
Put up or shut up.
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