Coburn Confident That Gonzales Should Resign, But Won’t Support ‘No Confidence’ Vote
Coburn Confident That Gonzales Should Resign, But Won’t Support ‘No Confidence’ Vote
When Attorney General Alberto Gonzales first testified to Congress about the U.S. attorney scandal on April 19, Sen. Tom Coburn (R-OK) reacted with indignation, telling Gonzales that “the best way to put this behind us is your resignation.”
But now, despite the variety of reasons for Gonzales to resign, Coburn appears to have backed away from his stern approach to Gonzales. Asked today whether Coburn would support a vote of “no confidence” for Gonzales, Coburn’s spokesman John Hart said no, calling the measure “a silly partisan stunt.” Hart said:
However, some Republican senators who have called on Mr. Gonzales to resign said they would not vote for Mr. Schumer’s no-confidence measure.
“If that were brought to the floor, I think Dr. Coburn would bring a vote to the floor calling for a vote of no confidence in Congress’ ability to balance the budget,” said John Hart, spokesman for Sen. Tom Coburn, Oklahoma Republican.
Mr. Coburn told Mr. Gonzales in a public hearing last month that the attorney general should resign, but Mr. Hart said the senator thinks Mr. Schumer’s no-confidence measure is “a silly partisan stunt.”
If Sen. Coburn really had the courage of his conviction that “the best way to put this behind us” is for Gonzales to resign, then he would support the “no confidence” vote, which is a reasonable move towards creating a Gonzales-free Justice Department.
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Color me surprised. Every single Republican is all talk, no action. I call it Hagel-ing.
May 18th, 2007 at 2:23 pmUnfortunately, there’s really nothing that can be done about Coburn because evidently the majority of voters in Oklahoma are morons.
May 18th, 2007 at 2:23 pmMaybe Sen Coburn actually does have confidence in Gonzo.
May 18th, 2007 at 2:25 pmwhy would one mafia member REALLY do anything more than talk the talk? He’ll never support resignation or anything else unless his own hide is on the line.
May 18th, 2007 at 2:25 pmAt least he’s honest about being spineless. Can’t put his vote where his mouth is though.
May 18th, 2007 at 2:26 pmParty > Nation
The rethug mantra!
May 18th, 2007 at 2:27 pmTypical republican. Can’t tell right from wrong.
May 18th, 2007 at 2:27 pmI want Gonzo to resign, but he and every lawbreaker in the administration needs to face a judge and jury for the crimes against the people and the world commited by these thugs
May 18th, 2007 at 2:27 pmPar for the course. Loudly state an opinion in public, then quietly vote the opposite way.
May 18th, 2007 at 2:27 pmI think that a “no confidence” vote is a wishy-washy move. The man has LIED to Congress repeatedly. It is time to impeach him.
May 18th, 2007 at 2:28 pm“If Sen. Coburn really had the courage of his conviction….”
Sorry Matt, I had to stop reading there since I was laughing so hard. I think I hurt myself….
The only conviction Coburn holds near and dear to his heart, is his great unwashed fantasy of rampant lesbianism in Oklahoma school bathrooms.
May 18th, 2007 at 2:31 pmThat’s twice in 24 hours that Coburn has pissed me off with his a**hole bullsh*t.
F*cking gutless weasel.
May 18th, 2007 at 2:31 pmGee, another GOP pussy… what a surprise, when push comes to shove, the GOP just goose-steps right along with the Bush crime family…
Off topic, but where is a TP posting on the Kennedy immigration great sellout to corporate America?
The United States Senate has not been willing to secure our southern border in the last twenty, thirty or forty years. The Senate has not been willing to enforce current laws against corporations hiring illegal immigrants in the last twenty, thirty or forty years.
More recently, the Senate has not been willing to set up a universal single-payer health insurance system. The Senate has been unwilling to allow hand-counted paper ballots in our elections. The Senate has been unwilling to end our illegal criminal imperial occupations of Afghanistan and Iraq. The Senate has been unwilling to Impeach, Try, Convict and Remove the lying, war-mongering, election-stealing traitorous Cheney and Bush from their Offices.
May 18th, 2007 at 2:34 pmYet, the U. S. Senate is willing to grant a blanket amnesty to some twelve-to-twenty million illegal immigrants. No problemo… Senators seem to be just — corporate whores.
These Republicans are cowards beyond all belief, as are their dimwitted supporters.
May 18th, 2007 at 2:36 pmAnd Coburn’s refusal to vote his conscience is silly partisan cowardice.
May 18th, 2007 at 2:37 pm“I think he should resign…but I have confidence in him!”
/J. Stewart…
May 18th, 2007 at 2:38 pm#6
Party > Nation
The rethug mantra!
I agree. The core repug mindset. Worthless bastards. Every last one of them. For the last seven years of kissing Chimpy’s ass, they should all be removed from office. The rethugs are a disgrace to everything they molest (ie, the Constitution, religion, our military).
Off topic, but one has to ask:
Hey Jerry, how is your roasting in hell going?!
May 18th, 2007 at 2:38 pmRepukes put party over country. They are all traitors.
Too bad we can’t shoot ‘em.
May 18th, 2007 at 2:38 pmLet’s impeach him. And during the Senate Trial, use his approved “coercive interrogation techniques” on him!
May 18th, 2007 at 2:39 pmArlen Sphincter does the same bullshit.
He talks tough but when push comes to shove, he wimps out and votes with the rest of the Repukes.
Repukes are crooks and traitors. They must be removed from office.
May 18th, 2007 at 2:40 pmDang, its HOT down here!!
MMMMMM…something’s cooking.
Wait…that’s ME!! AAARRRRRGHHH!!!
May 18th, 2007 at 2:41 pmTom3 sez:
Oh, but we can, when we convict them of treason…
May 18th, 2007 at 2:43 pmMan, Oklahoma sure has A LOT to be proud of in their representation in the US Senate, don’t they?
Coburn – Inhofe. Is there a better one-two punch of sheer buffoonery from any one state in the nation?
May 18th, 2007 at 2:47 pmBack off Crazy Tom! He has more important things to do like search for lesbians in high school restrooms.
May 18th, 2007 at 2:47 pmlol
May 18th, 2007 at 2:48 pmOkay – anyone who is surprised that a red-state Republican talks out of both sides of his mouth (not to mention another orifice) say, “Aye.”
Chirp, chirp, chirp, chrip . . . . . . . . . . .
May 18th, 2007 at 2:49 pmI told my boss that I’m not coming to work on Monday because “timetables sent the wrong message” to customers. He said that he had “no confidence” that my job would be here on Tuesday if I did, and I told him to take his “partisan stunt” and shove it.
That’ll show him.
May 18th, 2007 at 2:50 pmAre Davy Crockett caps back in style?
May 18th, 2007 at 2:53 pmI don’t think republic party members of congress ought to be bringing up the subject of “balanced budget” after their embarrassing turn in the majority and their complicit (with the white house) destruction of history’s largest budget surplus into its largest deficit.
May 18th, 2007 at 2:53 pmJeez, this guy looks like another Reperv.
No wonder he fantasizes about lesbians in the girls locker room.
Another Mark Foley type, no doubt.
May 18th, 2007 at 2:56 pmTypical Republican manoeuvre: why strive for a complete solution when half-measures will do?
May 18th, 2007 at 2:58 pmSee, that’s why we will not have impeachment. These bastards can never be trusted. Would you trust a man like Coburn to sponsor Bush’s impeachment, if you can’t trust him with this? Bastards!
May 18th, 2007 at 2:59 pmWhy must everything boil down to this same old childish B.S. of , Ooh, mommy, he’s being partisan.” “Oooh, if he does that again, mommy, will you beat him up for me?” Coburn’s remarks are borinly childish.
May 18th, 2007 at 3:02 pmMe thinks they were paid a little threatning visit by Shotgun Cheney…
May 18th, 2007 at 3:03 pmSounds like Karl got some dirt on Sen. Coburn from one of the warrantless NSA wiretaps and is holding his feet to the fire now to tow the WH line.
May 18th, 2007 at 3:05 pmI think we should use the constitution that they all werer sworn to protect. This is not a Parliamentary democracy we do not hold no-confidence votes. We need to have the spine to impeach this man. The Attorney General needs to be impeached for trying to use the Justice department as a wing of the Republican party attack machine. Lets get real and have Congress act like with their constitution authority and responsibility.
May 18th, 2007 at 3:08 pmGood point, Ethiolib.
Pelosi knows this. That’s why she took it off the table.
I would love to see Chimpeachment, but we don’t have the votes.
We would need 20% of the Repukes to vote for it.
And Repukes prove time and again that they are liars. They talk tough against Chimpy but when push comes to shove, they support him.
Sorry, but Chimpeachment is still off the table. Unfortuately, we don’t have the votes.
May 18th, 2007 at 3:14 pmNo divorce….But Seperation.
May 18th, 2007 at 3:16 pmSame old story – spineless congress.
May 18th, 2007 at 3:17 pm#36-Lets get real and have Congress act like with their constitution authority and responsibility.Comment by FreedomFirst
May 18th, 2007 at 3:17 pmOh, if it were only possible. Our leaders no longer listen to their constinuents. Its all about raising cash for the next election. The government is a toy in the hands of the corporate giants.
Sounds like Karl got some dirt on Sen. Coburn from one of the warrantless NSA wiretaps and is holding his feet to the fire now to tow the WH line. – Comment by jrod
That would explain his quick switch. It would also explain why Arlen Sphincter has backed off several times in the past.
And it would explain why the surveillance program was so bad, even Ashcroft wouldn’t sign it. And Ashcroft was the one who pushed the Patriot Act.
May 18th, 2007 at 3:20 pmagain, there are no teeth in their objections… just like they refuse to vote for Iraq resolutions…. more of this non-binding, ineffectual crap…
May 18th, 2007 at 3:20 pmTom3. Impeachment may not get the votes, but it is congress’ responsibility to act when crimes are committed. So, the need to stand up and be counted even if impeachment does not go all the way. Its about putting faith back in our government, or have anarchy.
May 18th, 2007 at 3:20 pmMr. Coburn is nothing but an ass licking Republic. That’s fine by me because it will pretty much guarantee he won’t be reelected in 2008. I just can’t believe how far these Republics will go to stay in lock-step with each other. I read something the other day that said that the Democrats were working in lock-step and I almost spewed my coffee on my computer screen. The Democrats are so far out of lock-step they are continually in disarray. But, I would rather have Democrats in disarray because they can think for themselves and make decisions based on their true beliefs than I would to have Republics who always make the same decisions no matter what they truly think. That’s those rubber-stamp Republics.
I can hardly wait until 2008. It will be a Democratic cakewalk and a Republic blood-bath and one that is well earned.
May 18th, 2007 at 3:21 pmAGAIN…
Impeachment is done in the House. It requires a simple majority.
May 18th, 2007 at 3:22 pmRemoval is done in the Senate, and it requires two-thirds.
The problem with impeachment is that if the Senate fails to remove Chimpy from office (after the House Chimpeaches him) then Chimpy is exonerated of all charges. Its in the Constitution, iirc.
We cannot risk taking Chimpy to trial unless we can nail him. If he gets exonerated, we will never hear the end of it. And it will embolden the Repukes to keep destroying our great nation.
May 18th, 2007 at 3:24 pmit’s a “stunt” that may be necessary, should Gonzo fail to do the right thing…
May 18th, 2007 at 3:24 pmDM it’s not just the republicans that say one thing and do another, impeachment won’t happen.
May 18th, 2007 at 3:27 pmComment by DM True. So their are the votes for it in the House. Gonzales will be impeached and that would make a stroner point than some bs no-confidence vote. We have a constitution and we need to use it!
If Congress refuses to respect the constitution then we truely have no government anymore.
May 18th, 2007 at 3:27 pmTom3 – Most people don’t see Clinto as being exonerated of anything. At least in the trial in the Senate it would more difficult for the White House to claim executive priviledge and more evidens of how much the WH tried to trun the Justice department into the Repub party will come out and will hurt the repubs
May 18th, 2007 at 3:31 pm“Arlen Sphincter does the same bullshit.
He talks tough but when push comes to shove, he wimps out and votes with the rest of the Repukes.
Repukes are crooks and traitors. They must be removed from office.”
Comment by Tom3 — May 18, 2007 @ 2:40 pm
Coming from AZ, I can say the same for John ‘Straight Talk Express My @$$’ McCain!
“Man, Oklahoma sure has A LOT to be proud of in their representation in the US Senate, don’t they?
Coburn – Inhofe. Is there a better one-two punch of sheer buffoonery from any one state in the nation?”
Comment by KRank — May 18, 2007 @ 2:47 pm
Don’t know if it’s a ‘better’ combo (or worse depending on one’s perspective), but I nominate the aforementioned Straight Talk Express My @$$ and Jon ‘Rubberstamp’ Kyl, our bookend jack@$$ senators from AZ. If we’re counting the House too then Rick Renzi and Kyl would easily give Coburn and Inhofe a run for their money!
May 18th, 2007 at 3:36 pmWe DO have the votes for IMPEACHMENT (bringing to TRIAL) in the House…
At this point, we DON’T have the votes to CONVICT Bush (neither did the Rapeublican Senate to Clinton).
But IMPEACHMENT would cause the FACTS to have to be EXPOSED: that Bush and Cheney are WAR CRIMINALS, subverters of the Constitution, and TREASONOUS exposers of our SPIES…
And the American public would soon be outraged enough to get the goose-steppers to vote for CONVICTION.
So, yes, we DO have sufficient votes for IMPEACHMENT in the HOUSE.
These EVIL CRIMINALS deserve it for doing what they have done…
See YOU in hell Coburn (cause I’LL be THERE),
Mr. Bush
May 18th, 2007 at 3:38 pmMURDEROUS WAR CRIMINAL
COWARDLY TRAITOR TO THE USA (TM–BushCrimeCo, Inc.)
I agree with leftcoast (43). It is time to make all the 28-percenters and their Congressional conspirators stand up and explain why Bush’s actions are acceptable – why lies may be used to start a war, why treaties banning torture should be disregarded, why laws specifying the limits to government evesdropping during war may be waived with an authorization to use force, why American citizens may be imprisoned and tortured without access to the legal system, why laws banning propaganda may be disregarded, and on and on and on.
These things cannot be acceptable, and anyone who thinks they are needs to be exposed. Impeachment may not succeed; the Republicans in the Senate might hold firm and put party over country, but they must be made to stand up and do so in full view of all, and then pay the consequences.
May 18th, 2007 at 3:39 pmso once again the “will” of the people will be disregarded. The only answer that will cause the goopers to wake up will be a route in 08. A total and complete route.
May 18th, 2007 at 3:45 pmThe dems should simply gather and then bring forward a complete list of every single example of the gooper criminal behavior. The lying, the misleading, the total disregard for the welfare of the people in this country. They, the dems will have to get the info out to the folks using every single method that there is. If they can’t get the MSM to publish it then they will have to enlist the web, the volunteers on the ground, the old fashioned door to door methods, the use of posters and billboards and the use, if necessary of non- violent obstruction of the congressional actions.
The people have to get the message. They just have to and these liars that constitute the gooper members of the congress appear to be owned lock stock and barrel.
the alternative is too horrible to accept.
Also, impeachment would GUARANTEE that BushCrimeCo, Inc. would have
to produce the REQUESTED material, or risk Obstruction and Contempt of Congress.
They are IN CONTEMPT right now (DOJ and State), but until there are TEETH put into ENFORCING the LAW on these CRIMINALS, …
IMPEACHMENT is the “TEETH” needed.
May 18th, 2007 at 3:48 pmThis is just more of the same. republicans talk a good game, but when it comes to backing up what they say they fall like a house of cards.
May 18th, 2007 at 4:06 pm#33 Comment by leftcoast — May 18, 2007 @ 3:02 pm
Why must everything boil down to this same old childish B.S. of , Ooh, mommy, he’s being partisan.†“Oooh, if he does that again, mommy, will you beat him up for me?†Coburn’s remarks are borinly childish.
This answer by Hart, “a silly partisan stunt,†sounds stupid and childish to us, but sadly, not to the the American public who does not keep up with politics on a daily basis. They can’t tell the truth from lying because they don’t know the facts.
This “partisan” tactic is part of the very effective “framing” the rethugs have developed over the last 30 years. They do it because it has always worked with the American public.
It essentially says that the facts we Democrats present, are not important, because we are being childish (partisan) in talking as we do. The MSM backs them and repeats this over and over “so it must be true.” “Democrats are just playing politics, so don’t listen to them,” they say. “You just hate Bush” (they say, ” its just another partisan attack, but we are smart enough to recognize it, and it doesn’t bother us. And they imply, “look at how big we are! We don’t get angry, we just take it in stride.” The MSM nods sagely and the public goes right along.) The ‘hate Bush’ bit is just another variation on this ‘partisan theme.’
We progressives have a lot to do, to learn how to reframe our approach so that these kinds of attacks don’t work any more.
May 18th, 2007 at 4:22 pmI can’t stop laughing at “Arlen Sphincter”. That is beautiful.
May 18th, 2007 at 4:28 pmZooey @11
You must be from OK. I didn’t think many people outside the state knew about the raging lesbianism at Idabel, OK. snark
May 18th, 2007 at 4:38 pmNo, of course not. Why go on public record in Congress with a vote FOR ‘no confidence’. This way, he can deny ever having said he thinks Gonzales should resign. He would just has to invoke the ‘I don’t recall’ amendment of the Constitution.
May 18th, 2007 at 4:59 pmNobody in the rubbernecked party will ever put the country above their allegiance to the Fascist Party they are part of. These are the most useless individuals this country has ever produced. They are failures at every turn, they are crooks at every turn, and most of all they are chickenshit chickenhawk warmongers who have never, ever, served their country. The GOP the anti-America party. But, they are against abortion and gays. What a worthless bunch of losers. The GOP is so over!
May 18th, 2007 at 5:05 pmZooey @11
You must be from OK. I didn’t think many people outside the state knew about the raging lesbianism at Idabel, OK. snark
Comment by yellowdogD
No, I’m in Idaho. Some things just don’t leave the brain — even if you want them to. :D
May 18th, 2007 at 5:29 pmCoburn’s a gutless worm. He’d rather keep his country saddled with a govt chief lawyer who’s incompetent and corrupt rather than confront his President with reality or his lawlessness, or confront the RNC with anything but rote compliance with Rovian norms. Coburn’s not a politician, he’s a plastic puppet.
May 18th, 2007 at 6:23 pmINBRED DEMONS…
…DUHmerikkka’s full of ‘em…
May 18th, 2007 at 7:25 pmCoburn is 50% of the reason I moved out of Oklahoma…the other half is Inhofe.
Voters in OK should be ashamed of themselves. I would wager given the same choices today they would vote them in again.
May 18th, 2007 at 10:57 pmCoburn was hot on oil-for-food scandals when it involved the UN and Australia. Now that Chevron under Rice’s directorship is as implicated (as AWB/Australia) or more implicated (than Annan/UN), where is Coburn on the subject of Rice? In fact, where is anybody?
A new cause almost daily to prosecute or impeach one or or other of Bush and his poseurs, but the GOP edifice still stands. But then they took care of the foundations. The benches are stacked, the DoJ is infiltrated, and there’s still enough Coburns on the hill to block impeachments. Not to mention the capital M Media. Fathomlessly bizarre times, these.
May 18th, 2007 at 11:52 pmTypical
May 19th, 2007 at 1:39 amha ha
May 19th, 2007 at 4:22 pm