Embattled Rep. Doolittle Retires Under Pressure From GOP ‘Weasels’
Embattled Rep. Doolittle Retires Under Pressure From GOP ‘Weasels’
For months, Rep. John Doolittle (R-CA) has resisted his fellow GOP lawmakers’ calls for his resignation. In September he defiantly announced, “I will not step aside. I am running again, period.”
Nevertheless, this afternoon at a press conference in his home district, Doolittle reluctantly said that he would be retiring at the end of his term:
“My wife, Julie, and I have made this decision after much prayer and deliberation. It was not my initial intent to retire, and I fully expected and planned to run again right up until very recently,” Doolittle said after addressing supporters in his Northern California district.
“But it distilled upon us that we were ready for a change after spending almost our entire married lives with me in public service. We are at peace with this choice and look forward to starting a new chapter in our lives.”
Doolittle was gracious in his speech today, but he clearly blames others for his downfall. He has consistently refused to admit to his mistakes, instead resorting to attacks and name-calling against his critics. A look at the individuals and organizations Doolittle likely blames for his resignation today:
FBI: In May, Doolittle accused the government “of leaking word of an FBI search on his home” a day before Attorney General Alberto Gonzales testified before Congress on the U.S. attorney scandal, in an attempt to show that the Justice Department wasn’t partisan.
Justice Department (General): Doolittle said that the Justice Department’s long-running probe of his ethics violations “borders on harrassment.” He also compared himself to the Duke lacrosse players who were falsely accused of rape, lamenting that people were rushing to “unfounded conclusions.”
Justice Department (Democrats): In May, Doolittle claimed that “embedded Democratic staffers in the Justice Department” were responsible for the investigation against him because they were allegedly interested in “rehabilitating the reputation of embattled Attorney General Alberto Gonzales.”
His GOP critics: In September, Doolittle called his Republican critics “weasels” for pressuring him to resign. “This is just self-interest on the part of ambitious people,” he said.
CREW: In September, nonprofit watchdog group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington listed Doolittle in its annual list of the “most corrupt members of Congress.” Doolittle called the group “underhanded and vile.” “There’s nothing responsible or ethical” about Crew, he said.
Doolittle and his wife are currently under federal investigation for their role in the Jack Abramoff corruption scandal, and questions have been raised about his ties to Cunningham co-conspirators contractors Brent Wilkes and Mitchell Wade.
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Now or later, we still want him to go to jail.
Prosecute this weasel until he is broke, then send him to jail.
January 10th, 2008 at 5:27 pmI am glad it at last “distilled upon” him, whatever that means.
January 10th, 2008 at 5:28 pm“…have made this decision after much prayer and deliberation.”
One can only wonder who or what he prays to>
January 10th, 2008 at 5:30 pmJustice Department (Democrats): In May, Doolittle claimed that “embedded Democratic staffers in the Justice Department†were responsible for the investigation against him because they were allegedly interested in “rehabilitating the reputation of embattled Attorney General Alberto Gonzales.â€
Ok, now tell me how much sense that makes. Why in the hell would Democratic staffers be interested in rehabilitating the reputation of Gonzales?
This guy is nuts. Bye bye, don’t let the door hit you on the backside.
January 10th, 2008 at 5:41 pmDoolittle Video This tells all
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zpI7AEG8n0U
January 10th, 2008 at 5:43 pm“My wife, Julie, and I have made this decision after much prayer…”
Where have we heard this before?
January 10th, 2008 at 5:45 pm‘good name of the Party’……Don’t make me laugh when my lips are chapped , Frank M.
January 10th, 2008 at 5:46 pmComment by wisedup — January 10, 2008 @ 5:46 pm
yeah that line made me laugh too.
January 10th, 2008 at 5:48 pmruining the good name of the Party
I’m not sure how these guys are ruining such a great movie as The Party with Peter Sellers. Birdi Num Num. LOL
January 10th, 2008 at 5:51 pmIt would be so lovely if his “new chapter” turned out to be a stretch in Supermax!
January 10th, 2008 at 5:52 pmAnd don’t let the door hit you on the butt on your way out, John! And take your target letter for future indictment with you.
January 10th, 2008 at 5:53 pmthe Party and hurting the long term goals and the cause.
Comment by Frank M — January 10, 2008 @ 5:42 pm
Frank is of course referring to his Nazi-like neocon party and his cause is fascism. You should make this all clearer for the newbies around here.
January 10th, 2008 at 5:53 pmOh, Frankie, Frankie, Frankie —- I’m sooooooo very tempted to recommend your post at #6 — for its comedy value alone!!!!
Good job, boy! Thanks for the guffaw.
January 10th, 2008 at 5:54 pm#6 has me ROFLAO……What good name, party and long term goal’s?…Well I guess all thing’s are relative, even long term jail sentences……Blessings
January 10th, 2008 at 5:57 pmFrank M- I’m beginning to believe that you’re a plant by the democrats. Gawd, you could write for Colbert.
January 10th, 2008 at 6:00 pmeems you can tell when TP is editing for another post. The website seems to have trouble with lagtime. Does anyone notice this?
January 10th, 2008 at 6:06 pmheads up! ralph nader on rachel maddow, up next!
LISTEN LIVE http://www.airamerica.com/
January 10th, 2008 at 6:29 pmkaty- streaming now. San Diego lost AirAmerica. Thanks for the heads-up.
January 10th, 2008 at 6:35 pmWeasels – 1
January 10th, 2008 at 6:37 pmTapeworm – 0
It’s everyone else’s fault that I’m being accused as a criminal, I’m a republican and we are allowed to break the law, didn’t they get the memo from the White House?
Buck Fush
January 10th, 2008 at 6:48 pmHuckabee using push polls in Michigan.
http://www.tpmmuckraker.com/archives/005054.php#comments
Since when did the Commandment against “bearing false witness” not apply to political campaigns? What has Christianity come to? David in NY
ROSSinDETROIT wrote on January 10, 2008 5:46 PM:
January 10th, 2008 at 6:50 pmI’m in MI near Detroit. My ZIP Code is heavily Dem. I just got one of the push poll robocalls described. It urged me as a Democrat to cross over and vote in the GOP primary for Huckabee! It was immediately clear at the beginning of the 2 min 45 sec call that this was in favor of Huckabee. I was surprised at the end when the disclaimer stated it was not sponsored by a campaign. It’s clearly candidate advocacy.
Rep. John Doolittle’s (R-CA) ‘i want to spend time with my family’ reason is very common amongst Republicans under investigation. Is that because he will miss his family while in jail? Such a noble virtue….
January 10th, 2008 at 6:55 pmRetirement before prison time – that’s what Dolittle has in store for his future.
January 10th, 2008 at 6:58 pmleftcoast – that was a good interview with nader…
especially the end, when rachel asked him if he will run for president…
and of course he left it up in the air…
but, she’s right – it should be HIM, NADER, to head the drive to fix the elections and the whole electoral system…
(instead of playing the spoiler every 4 years… randi says such also)
i broke down and bought XM after 3 mos of streaming AirAmerica…
January 10th, 2008 at 7:09 pmi’m not sorry i did… one of my few splurges…
i am an AirAmerica junkie…
…
And the King Rat is pissed at the weasels. Sounds a bit like the Wind in the Willows?
January 10th, 2008 at 7:16 pm“My wife, Julie, and I have made this decision after much prayer and deliberation”
No no no:
My wife, Julie, and I have made this decision after much swearing and gnashing of teeth.
January 10th, 2008 at 7:31 pmrachel just announced that the interview with nader can be heard here: ON DEMAND http://www.airamerica.com/
(good job, sam!)
January 10th, 2008 at 7:39 pm“After much prayer”………
………..” we are at peace with this choice”
Do these people ever try this same crap in front of a mirror?
January 10th, 2008 at 8:24 pmIn September, Doolittle called his Republican critics “weasels†for pressuring him to resign. “This is just self-interest on the part of ambitious people,†he said.
Doolittle knows his Republican “friends” very well. He understands that they are sacrificing him in order to distance themselves from the gigantic scam in which many of them helped set up phony fronts as “defense contractors” in order to funnel untold millions of taxpayer dollars from the Defense Dept. to corrupt Republicans and the Republican National Committee.
January 10th, 2008 at 9:46 pmShoeless,
It looks like it goes much deeper and more corrupt than we think.
Did you see the pictures posted on SIbel Edmonds website yesterday. The same Sibel Edmonds that has an extremely broad and tight gag order on her? She didn’t name names but she did post pictures.
This IS a conspiracy of gigantic proportions running drugs, guns and laundering money in the billions all while emasculating the very fabric of this country.
Do the good people of this country know the word revolution?
January 10th, 2008 at 9:57 pmNo, I did not see that! Thank you! I will look it up!
January 10th, 2008 at 10:05 pmYeah, and you were in the bathroom when all of this happened. You lyin’ sack of shit. Just fade away and take your bigmouth with ya. And say a prayer that no indictments come down and ruin your Sunday at church turdblossom. Jeez, these alleged “representatives of the people” just don’t understand that when they’re elected it’s not to get trips and meals and all the money you can steal! Thank you CREW.
January 10th, 2008 at 10:31 pmGOP = Weasel Central.
January 11th, 2008 at 12:18 amI move the Republican Party symbol be changed from the elephant to the weasel.
January 11th, 2008 at 2:16 amEither that or a steaming pile of shit.
At night the ice weasels come.
January 11th, 2008 at 2:42 amWell I know that Congressman Jefferson has nothing to do with rePUG Littledoo.
Are you suggesting that they are both of them are working Jack Abromoff?
January 11th, 2008 at 10:29 am