Sen. Arlen Specter (R-PA),
By on May 3rd, 2006 at 9:20 pm
Sen. Arlen Specter (R-PA),
chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, has accused the White House of a “very blatant encroachment” on congressional authority and announced “he will hold an oversight hearing into President Bush’s assertion that he has the power to bypass more than 750 laws enacted over the past five years.”
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Sure he will do something. He is nothing but hot air, same as Hagel.
May 3rd, 2006 at 9:27 pmSpecter reminds me of someone who looks at himself in a mirror and after he walks away, forgets what he looks like.
As far as he is concerned, seeing is believing.
May 3rd, 2006 at 9:33 pmI wouldn’t be THE decider if I didn’t have to decide to break the law. It’s all part of the job of being preznit.
May 3rd, 2006 at 9:34 pmWhat Specter says and what Specter does are two entirely different things
May 3rd, 2006 at 9:35 pmHey at LEAST Spector has the balls to bring it up as a discussion. For 6 years Bush has got a pass as he raped Iraq and drove our Country into the poor house. Republicans are TERRIFIED of Bush. McCain has been kissing his ass for the last 4 years even after Bush Swiftboated him in 03. You have to give Spector some credit for raising up the flag, even if he intends to bring it down if he doesn’t get some help holding the chord.
May 3rd, 2006 at 9:44 pmAll the above comments are right on the money.
May 3rd, 2006 at 9:44 pmBoy-o-boy. They are kinda slow on the up-take, aren’t they? If it only affected the average American, who cares? But when they finally understand that THEY are being rendered “quaint” by BushCo as well, CAN”T HAVE THAT!!! Where would they be without their power and influence? Scary thought, huh? Maybe that ‘free pass’ wasn’t such a good idea? Welcome to our world, Senator. I’m sure the President “appreciates” your opinion.
May 3rd, 2006 at 9:54 pmhis conclusion will be as it is on the nsa warrantless wire-tapping:
the president broke the law, but, he can do so if he claims his article ii powers.
he essentially said this yesterday when the fbi guy was in front of the judiciary commiitee. gonzales will simply argue that each of these 750 laws can similarly be broken…
hold hearings, have press conferences, get re-elected…blah blah blah
it is over, folks… buy gold, if you can; a sandwich, if you can’t, and watch the end of the world…
have a nice day!
May 3rd, 2006 at 9:57 pmOh no all these laws being broken and no independent council , wait , what’s that in the muck , it’s the Specter . yeah whatever .
May 3rd, 2006 at 10:00 pmOnly for giving cover will:
Hey at LEAST Spector has the balls to bring it up as a discussion.
May 3rd, 2006 at 10:08 pmStop taking Specter seriously. Its all bluster and little substance from Specter. He’s more like a poodle.
May 3rd, 2006 at 10:30 pmjames risser – tell me about the “buy gold” thing, seriously…
May 3rd, 2006 at 10:37 pmi don’t have much, but i don’t want to lose any of it ( couple of bonds and a mutual fund)…
i’m starting to think i’d feel better if it was under my mattress…
There’s a report filed with congress every time one of these “executive exemptions” is signed. An enterprising reporter took the time to add them up. It was great reporting, but not great “investigative” reporting. In other words, if Specter et al (including the Dems) had been paying any attention, this should already have been an issue.
Now he’s outraged. I’m outraged nobody in congress noticed!
New on EWM: Bush Solidifies Base: Tongues wag as 32% of U.S. turns into pillars of salt.
May 3rd, 2006 at 10:45 pm[...] to follow certain requirements. (Hat tip to Think Progress) [ Permanent Link | '); | '); | Technorati Links ] The Great Society © 2005-2006 | TGS was created using the Firefox web browser and maynot be viewed as cleanly in others. Get a free website from Blogsome. Theme was originally designed by Lee Penney and customized thereafter. Navigation Home Login [...]
May 3rd, 2006 at 10:56 pmI don’t know; the last time Spector threatened action I copied all of the replys from this site and sent them to his office, along with a side note to basically “put his money where his mouth was.”
He does seem meaner this time.
Let’s see.
Give me your best to send to Spector…!
(Nothing that will get me thrown in Gitmo, though. thanks.)
May 3rd, 2006 at 11:02 pm#13
i have absolutely nothing, but, it seems gold or euros seem the only way to go. hey, if governments are switching from the dollar to the euro–two days ago qatar switched 40% of their dollar holdings into euros–then, i would not want to have only dollars.
best to get a passport too…
#14
specter is only outraged because of the article. he is not an idiot. of course he knew about the signing statement. he is just showing off a bit. but, as i said above, he will come to same conclusion, so why bother???
and, #16,
it is funny you mention that you sent him this thread. in march, each day i sent at least one senator at least one reasonably argued letter on any number of bush scandals, and NOT A SINGLE senator responded…not even a junk mail. specter about three times, feingold about nine, feinstein x 2, dodd four times…well you get the idea.
i even HAND-Delivered feingold a draft resolution for his consideration and asked him to kindly respond, he said he would….that was almost a month ago.
please come back and let us know if you get a response….
peace.
May 3rd, 2006 at 11:30 pmby the way, if john podesta reads this stuff, i would love to hear from him on why even the more progressive members of congress ignore their constituents’ letters and faxes, and, if he can give any insight on the best way to get the ear of these members, it would be helpful.
kthanks…
May 3rd, 2006 at 11:34 pmAnd we talked about these signing statements how long ago?
May 3rd, 2006 at 11:35 pmANVILHEAD’S real identity.
May 3rd, 2006 at 11:40 pmOh Really?
May 3rd, 2006 at 11:43 pmSounds like another scandal for Pat Roberts.
That is strange James. I usually don’t write Feingold because he is usually doing the right thing anyway but I sent one during the Alito fiasco urging him to filibuster. I received a letter about a month later.
May 3rd, 2006 at 11:45 pm#13, check out this speech from 4/25/06 from Ron Paul regarding “gold”.
http://recap.fednet.net/archive/Buildasx.asp?sProxy=80_hflr042506_097.wmv,80_hflr042506_098.wmv,80_hflr042506_099.wmv,80_hflr042506_100.wmv,80_hflr042506_101.wmv,80_hflr042506_102.wmv,80_hflr042506_103.wmv,80_hflr042506_104.wmv&sTime=00:02:58.2&eTime=00:03:59&duration=00:35:56.0&UserName=reppaultx&sLocation=G&sExpire=0
May 3rd, 2006 at 11:57 pm#22
wow… well, i am glad that someone is getting a response. congrats!
May 4th, 2006 at 12:26 amthat’s interesting… thank you for that, theresa… still though: paul, R, TX…hmmmmm…
i was talking to a guy today who told me that gold ws not easily “cashed out” (for lack of the actual term) also…
get this: the guy was in “customer relations” with the brokerage that i dumped this money in – a disbursement after my dad’s death – and i knew nothing at the time, just wanted the money to grow and not be able to spend it – that was 5 years ago… so today i finally call to talk about wht to do (cause i’m thinking i want to get the money out of the market), and i’m expressing my anxiety about the political and world situation and he says ‘yea, you have a right to worry – i am too” – OH MY GAWD – and at one point, when i say i’m worried about a market crash, he asks me if i would be able to “take care of myself” if that happened – i asked, “what do you mean?” and he said, ” like grow your own food, blah blah blah” – that’s all i heard!!! i said, “you’re scaring me!” and he said that he was just trying to give me ideas about what i could do to be safe! oh jeez…
you know – i expected someone like that to say “not to worry, little lady – the market is doing great! nothing to worry about. you just keep your money with us and we’ll take care of it, er you…” . but he was very understanding and helpful … i think i’m going for the mattress thing!
it’s barely enough to buy a nice car with – which i need – but the timing for that doesn’t seem right either… ah well… at least it’s “diversified”!
i’m up too late…probably won’t sleep well anyway, but time to go…
May 4th, 2006 at 12:49 amg’nite all…
…..I counsel thee to buy of me
May 4th, 2006 at 1:09 amgold tried in the fire, that thou
mayest be rich; and white raiment,
that thou mayest be clothed,
…..
That video was ridiculous. Gold actually has a value. $100 dollar bills are just printed paper based on nothing of value. They print them all the time and for no reason at all. They just printed another million. Whoopee!!!
May 4th, 2006 at 1:27 amLook, this Arlen chap is saying something that needs to be said. That he is a Republican doing it simply to distance himself from the Bush hari-kari doesn’t make his statements any less valid. I still wouldn’t vote for him, but that doesn’t mean he hasn’t gone up a notch in my estimation.
May 4th, 2006 at 8:07 am#28 But Bruce, he comes out and says these things occasionally and turns around and blocks the hearings or turns them into shams. Actions speak much louder than words in his case.
May 4th, 2006 at 8:11 am#16 trueblue, Thanks for the offer. You can pass along this:
Senator Specter,
Wow! Five years and 750 laws later, and you’re finally noticing that this president has no respect for the Legislative Branch of the government. What took you so long to notice? One would think that this might have been picked up on a little sooner if there was any, oh, what’s that word for what your branch is responsible for, “oversightâ€, yeah, that’s what’s been missing. If you and your Republican colleagues from both Houses would put loyalty to your country ahead of loyalty to your party (and please do not insult our intelligence by denying that this is what’s been happening), we wouldn’t have a president in the White House who thinks that the law is what he decides it is. (‘Cause he’s the decider.) You, Senator Specter, as chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, have been a particular disappointment with your unwillingness to stand up to this dictator. And that is exactly what he is. He has decided that no matter what laws you pass, he will only follow them if he decides that they don’t encroach on what he perceives his executive powers to be. You and the rest of the Congress (especially the rest of your party) must make clear to the president that he is not above the law, and that the laws of this country are written by the Congress, not the White House.
While we know that the Senate does not impeach the president, the evidence is overwhelming that this president has violated the US Constitution and the laws written under it on numerous occasions. You cannot worry about the impact on your party’s hold of either House come November. You MUST begin investigating the abuses of power we all know this president has committed. If you don’t, then you deserve to be in jail with him as a co-conspirator.
May 4th, 2006 at 8:15 am#5 “BUSH WILL CONTINUE TO DO AS HE PLEASES….THANK GOD”
Thus yells the man who obviously hates the Constitution.
May 4th, 2006 at 8:24 amNice try Arlen, but I very much doubt that these “heaings” will be any more than a chance for the GOP to blast the Dems for “interfering” with W. Just in time for November too.
http://www.lcoliberal.blogspot.com
May 4th, 2006 at 8:34 amMoussaoui spared. Common sense at last:
Right now on LCL
#31 There can be no other explanation (unless he really doesn’t mean what he says.) :)
May 4th, 2006 at 8:50 amSpecter has been talking out of both sides of his mouth for a while – claiming shock at the White House’s disregard for the law, and making lots of threats, but doing very little…
May 4th, 2006 at 9:00 am“those” who hate us for our freedoms have a friend in anvilhead
May 4th, 2006 at 9:16 amBelieve it only when you see it.
May 4th, 2006 at 9:19 am“those†who hate us for our freedoms have a friend in anvilhead
Comment by walter66 — May 4, 2006 @ 9:16 am
And those who hate anvilhead for his freedom have a friend in us. :)
May 4th, 2006 at 9:20 amoh, “those” who hate us for our freedoms also love mike dewine
May 4th, 2006 at 9:20 am#25 katy
May 4th, 2006 at 9:24 amI went to DC in September for a peach march (Cindy Sheehan) – an enormous crowd, barely covered by the MSM, though. As if +100,000 strong is not newsworthy.
Anyway, I won’t be able to go again in May, although if I lived closer to DC and could get there by car or train on a one-day trip, I would be there.
good one Wayne……..what does it mean?
May 4th, 2006 at 9:26 am#40 I don’t know. The play on words just sounded good.
Maybe it means that those who hate the fact that people like anvilhead are allowed to go free have a friend in us. Or in just me.
Actually, that nonsense the president is always spouting about how the terrorists “hate us for our freedoms” is just that – nonsense. It doesn’t really make sense to me, either. I know they have specific, socio-political reasons for their hatred of us, and “our freedoms” has never been one of them.
May 4th, 2006 at 9:40 amoh…………the message Sen. Mike DeWine is sending to the terrorists is “Please Mr. Terrorist, don’t attack us, we will destroy America for you.”
May 4th, 2006 at 10:02 amAnd the walk-back begins:
Correction: Because of an editing error, a Page One story yesterday on a possible Senate hearing on President Bush’s claims that he can bypass certain laws incorrectly attributed the quote, ”How can we know whether the government will comply with the new laws that we passed?” to FBI director Robert Mueller. The quote was from Senator Russ Feingold, Democrat of Wisconsin. Also, because of an editing error, the story misstated the number of bills in which Bush has challenged provisions. He has claimed the authority to bypass more than 750 statutes, which were provisions contained in about 125 bills.
LOL. What a joke. Sure, have a hearing. Try to get the facts straight in your news articles too, morons.
May 4th, 2006 at 10:12 amActions speak louder than words.
Watch what they do (actually do)(and finish), not what they say.
May 4th, 2006 at 10:21 amSexian, thanks for setting the record straight………
Sen. Mike DeWine………..are you tough on terrorism or are you being tough on Americanism?
May 4th, 2006 at 10:25 amJPark
Look, the guy speaking against Bush shows that at least the Republicans in congress know that they are dismantling America’s democratic system of checks and balances. Previously I just thought they were just bumbling imbeciles more interested in their bank accounts then their jobs, whose chief threat to the world would be as much accidental as inevitable. Evil in my book is a notch up on stupid.
Seixon
Link?
May 4th, 2006 at 10:46 am“I’m so excited!”
-June Pointer and the Pointer Sisters-
…oops too late…
May 4th, 2006 at 11:47 amactually ANVILHEAD is spot on.
except for that “THANK GOD” part.
May 4th, 2006 at 11:56 amSpecter is pushing 3 NSA measures that will legalize it and retroactively provide cover for the WHite House. Specter is the one who should be leading the charge on impeachment after how bad the GOP and Bush tried to push him out in 04.
May 4th, 2006 at 12:38 pmSpecter is a good Senator who speaks his mind, no matter what the official GOP mantra is. He’s not afraid of indepedence.
May 4th, 2006 at 4:49 pmThat should be admired, not lambasted.
#51 I will admire Specter as soon as he backs up his words with actions. I have been a fool before believing he actually had integrity.
May 4th, 2006 at 6:29 pm#51…Once you have been bitten by Senator Specter, you don’t believe him again. He has mande many promises and never followed through…I have been watching him off and on for a couple of years and each time he threatens or attempts to oversee what the president is doing, he backs down….he is one mean man. Like most, I have written to him and BEGGED
May 4th, 2006 at 8:25 pmhim to remember that he swore on an oath to uphold the Constitution of the US and defend its principles…has he done it?? NO!! With every vote that may go against Bush he says he will go with the people, then someone from the White House uses their might and twists and twists his arms and lo and behold….he does as Bushie wants….screw the people and screw the laws. It is time to remove all these double talkers from congress and replace them with people who will uphold the truth….regardless of party. Too bad they are so hard to comeby. Once again, I doubt very much that this time he will go against his buddy!!