Free Republic

WASHINGTON - House Democrats will allow a quarter-century ban on drilling for oil off the Atlantic and Pacific coasts to expire next week. Appropriations Committee Chairman David Obey is telling reporters that language continuing the moratorium will be omitted this year from a spending bill to keep the government in operating funds after Congress recesses for the election.

Rep. David R. Obey, chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, yesterday threatened unilaterally to block President Bush's $189 billion emergency war-funding bill to force a U.S. pullout from Iraq and called for levying a surtax to cover the war's costs. Mr. Obey, breaking with the Democratic leadership that has failed repeatedly to end the Iraq war, said unless Mr. Bush establishes a goal to abort combat operations in Iraq by January, he would act alone to cut off war spending. "Future generations should not be saddled with paying for an ill-advised war in Iraq that seems to be never-ending," said...

A taxpayer watchdog group says Democrats in Congress are not living up to their promise of openness and transparency in the appropriations process. The group, Citizens Against Government Waste, says House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's vow that her party would preside over "the most honest, most open, and most ethical Congress in history" has already proven to be a phony promise. House Appropriations Committee chairman David Obey (D-Wisconsin) has announced he will allow all earmarks into conference reports, which are negotiated behind closed doors and cannot be amended when they reach the House and Senate floors. Obey's plan ignores rules that...

WASHINGTON -- Democrats controlling the House of Representatives demonstrated this month the hollowness of their claim that they have ended the corruption of 12 Republican years. Rep. John Murtha quietly slipped into the Intelligence authorization bill two earmarks costing taxpayers $5.5 million. The beneficiary was a contractor headquartered in Murtha's hometown of Johnstown, Pa., whose executives have been generous political contributors to the powerful 17-term congressman. This scandalous conduct would be unknown except for reforms by the new Democratic majority. But the remodeled system is not sufficiently transparent to expose in a timely manner machinations of Murtha and fellow earmarkers...

CNN played video of a presser where David “Idiot liberal” Obey AND his “idiot liberal” friend, Speaker Nancy Pelosi could not recall the actual date when they would began the 180 day countdown until defeat. In Rep. Obey’s case he couldn’t even remember the year Transcript: REP. DAVID R. OBEY, D-WIS.: Troops must be out of a combat role by October — I mean, by August of 19 — 2007.REP. NANCY PELOSI, D-CALIF.: 2008. If they meet (inaudible).OBEY: I’m sorry, that’s right.PELOSI: OK. But if they haven’t made any progress by July, we begin the 180 days. If they haven’t...

House Appropriations Committee Chairman David Obey, D-Wisconsin, apologized Friday for a tirade against anti-war activists on Capitol Hill Monday that was secretly recorded on video and then posted on the Internet site YouTube. In the testy exchange, Obey -- who is himself an anti-war liberal -- called the activists "idiot liberals" for encouraging him to vote against the supplemental funding bill for the Iraq war even though for the first time the bill places a binding timeline for the redeployment of U.S. forces out of Iraq. "We're trying to use the supplemental to end the war," Obey told the unidentified...

If the chips fall right for Democrats and their party seizes control of the House, President Bush's agenda on Capitol Hill would fall into the hands of some of his most dogged opponents. It's not just would-be Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California, but a boatload of Democrats newly running committees who would determine what legislation gets debated and which programs and agencies get scrutiny. So who are the chairmen to be? _a Polish-American lawyer with a reputation for making witnesses quiver. _a die-hard liberal from New York's Harlem with 35 years in the House. _a free-spending progressive from Wausau, Wis....

Thursday July 17, 2003 The Guardian As the CIA director, George Tenet, arrived at the Senate yesterday to give secret testimony on the Niger uranium affair, it was becoming increasingly clear in Washington that the scandal was only a small, well-documented symptom of a complete breakdown in US intelligence that helped steer America into war. It represents the Bush administration's second catastrophic intelligence failure. But the CIA and FBI's inability to prevent the September 11 attacks was largely due to internal institutional weaknesses. This time the implications are far more damaging for the White House, which stands accused of politicising...

WASHINGTON - The House passed a mammoth defense spending bill Monday evening, but only after a Republican congressman was forced to take back remarks accusing Democrats of "demonizing Christians." The rhetorical warfare came as the House considered a proposal by Rep. David Obey, D-Wis., to put Congress on record against "coercive and abusive religious proselytizing" at the U.S. Air Force Academy.

WASHINGTON - A Republican congressman accused Democrats on Monday of "denigrating and demonizing Christians" by concluding there was religious intolerance at the U.S. Air Force Academy. During debate on a proposal by Democrats that would put Congress on record against "coercive and abusive religious proselytizing" at the academy, Rep. John Hostettler (news, bio, voting record), R-Ind., criticized Reps. Steve Israel, D-N.Y., and David Obey, D-Wis. "Like a moth to a flame, Democrats can't help themselves when it comes to denigrating and demonizing Christians," Hostettler said. Democrats leapt to their feet and demanded Hostettler be censured for his remarks. After a...

The House passed a mammoth defense spending bill Monday evening, but only after a Republican congressman was forced to take back remarks accusing Democrats of "demonizing Christians." The rhetorical warfare came as the House considered a proposal by Rep. David Obey, D-Wis., to put Congress on record against "coercive and abusive religious proselytizing" at the U.S. Air Force Academy. Story Continues Below Rep. John Hostettler, R-Ind., criticized Obey and Steve Israel, D-N.Y., who offered a similar condemnation of academy officials earlier this year on another bill. "Like a moth to a flame, Democrats can't help themselves when it comes to...

Once again, Osama Bin Laden, hero to many in the Islamic world, has spoken. What did he say? Basically he said, "Do as I say or die." If Iraqis dare to vote for their own future, they will be considered "infidels" which in Muslim-speak means that they will become fair and legal targets. Not only will those voting be fair game but so will their children, wives, parents, and probably the family dog as well. This is the loving and kind nature of Islam. Do as you are told or die. Think of the numbers. If even 50 percent of...

MILWAUKEE -- A Roman Catholic bishop who waded into politics with a decree that lawmakers who support abortion rights can no longer receive holy communion has ignited a debate over the separation of church and state. Bishop Raymond Burke of La Crosse cited Vatican doctrine, canon law and teachings by the U.S. bishops in an announcement telling diocesan priests to withhold communion from such lawmakers until they ''publicly renounce'' their support of abortion rights. ''This is about as stark a decree to come down against Catholic politicians as we've seen in recent history,'' said Barry Lynn, executive director of the...

Last week Secretary Rumsfeld, Administrator Paul Bremer, and several other officials testified before both the Senate and the House about the request for $87 billion to finish the military and civilian tasks in Iraq. The first comments are about the responses of Democrats in Congress to these events. Robert Byrd: In the Senate, Robert Byrd (D-W.Va.) said to Rumsfeld, "Where is the mandate to rebuild Iraq?" Rumsfeld pointed out that the job did not end with the winning of the war. That reconstruction was the necessary end of the process. He did not point out that America has done that...

Congressman, David Obey(D.) - Rep. Wisconsin, In a speech today, slams Rumsfeld, refers to the situation in Iraq a disaster, and calls on Bush to fire Rumsfeld.

<p>Sean Duffy, television star, lumberjack and district attorney, is considering a run against U.S. Rep. Dave Obey in 2004.</p> <p>Duffy, 31, best-known among Gen Xers for his role on MTV's "The Real World: Boston" in 1997, has a more serious side these days. He's married, has two children and became district attorney in Ashland County in 2002.</p>