GOP Senators Tune Attention of UN Ambassador Dr. Susan Rice to Focus on Benghazi

What?  No Press Conferences for Senator McCain following General Petraeus testimony this morning?  Looks like McCain finally figured out he might have been wrong and the fact he skipped the briefings yesterday to attend the press conference was not a good idea:

Even Sen. John McCain, who has been one of Rice’s chief critics in the Senate, was largely mum on the subject following the hearing, opting instead to lambast the Iraqi government for freeing Ali DaqDuq, a Hezbollah leader connected to multiple American deaths.

State Department requested additional dollars to beef up security at our embassies and consulates but the increase was rejected in the House, but it is still the fault of the State Department?   Guess the State Department was supposed to manufacture dollars to increase security.

Time for Republicans to quit their grandstanding.  I said the same thing after 9/11 about the Democrats when the initial cooperation wore off.  Sure miss the days of Democrat Senators Sam Nunn and David Boren  when they actually did work together with Republican Senators Don Nickles and Richard Lugar.  

IMHO there were changes made to the Federal Government intelligence/investigative structure in 2004 following 9/11 that should not have been implemented.  Putting more layers of management has not helped:

The CIA and its responsibilities changed markedly in 2004. Before December 2004, the CIA was the main intelligence organization of the U.S. government; it was responsible for coordinating the activities of the U.S. Intelligence Community (IC) as a whole. The Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004 created the office of the Director of National Intelligence (DNI), which took over management and leadership of the IC.

Republicans and Fox News have way overplayed their hand on Benghazi and it looks like from some comments they haven't learned their lesson.  Guess we should be happy Republicans have backed off US Ambassador Dr. Susan Rice but what they need to quit doing is trying to manufacture a political witch hunt which has been ongoing since the Benghazi attack.  The worst part is that members of the Intelligence Committee know better when it comes to CIA intelligence that when it comes in the fog of an attack, the scenario of what happened can change over time. 

Republicans Tone Down Attacks On Rice, But Keep Focus On Benghazi 

“Clearly the security measures were not adequate despite an overwhelming and growing amount of information showing the area of Benghazi was dangerous and particularly the date of Sept. 11,” says Rubio. 

Nov 16, 2012 1:35pm EST John Stanton BuzzFeed Staff posted a few minutes ago

Image by Alex Wong / Getty Images 

WASHINGTON — Senate Republicans Friday appeared to shift positions on the assault on the American consulate in Benghazi, moving away from political attacks on Ambassador Susan Rice to calls for further inquiries into substantive issues relating to security and intelligence gathering. 

For weeks Republicans have hammered Rice for claiming the attack was in response to an anti-Islam Youtube video during a Sunday show appearance following the incident. 

Democrats have bitterly complained that the assault on Rice, who they say was just repeating a CIA briefing — and whom President Barack Obama appears dead set on nominating as Secretary of State. Her defenders call the attacks purely political in nature, pointing out that her comments have resulted in no policy changes and that she was working with the information provided by the intelligence community. 

"Increasingly the focus is going to be on the fact that despite a growing and significant amount of information being provided to the state Department about the growing risk in the Benghazi area, they did not take adequate enough security measures," Sen. Marco Rubio said bluntly after a closed-door hearing with former CIA chief Gen. David Petraeus. "I think that’s what the growing amount of inquiry should be about in the coming days.” 

(snip) 

Indeed, Chambliss acknowledged that, “the problem with what Susan Rice said was not whether she stuck with the talking points, were they correct. They were. “ 

However, Chambliss did take issue with Rice’s decision to also tout the administration’s efforts against Al Queada given the fact that intelligence seemed to show they were involved in some way with the attack. 

 (snip)

“In fact, what the UN Ambassador stated was the talking points that had been given, approved, declassified to the House Intelligence Committee and that’s what she, I am told, restated,” said Sen. Bill Nelson, a member of the community. 

“So much of this confusion has arisen because of the difference between what is classified and what is unclassified,” Sen. Kent Conrad said. “When people are talking in a classified setting, they can say much more than they can say in an unclassified setting, the notes that Ambassador Rice was speaking from were from an unclassified setting.” 

“She used the unclassified talking points that were signed off on by the entire intelligence community,” Conrad said.

Excerpt:  Read More at BuzzFeed

Republicans Plot Night of Pres Obama's Inauguration to Plot Making Him a One-Term President

Did they also cut a deal to make Romney the next candidate because of his money and donor ties?  They needed the money for 2010 so was Romney was the conduit?  How many Republicans have they lost who refuse to vote for Romney/Ryan over their shenanigans?  Betting the number is going up by the day with all the lies coming out of Republicans each and every day.

Last night when I heard Former President Bill Clinton talk about a meeting the night of the Inauguration of President Obama, I was shocked and decided this morning to find out what this was all about.  Remember these names of the people who had the audacity to meet on the night of President Obama's Inauguration to lay down the plans to make him a one-term President.  These people had no intention of working with the new President or for the American people:

According to Draper, the guest list that night (which was just over 15 people in total) included Republican Reps. Eric Cantor (Va.), Kevin McCarthy (Calif.), Paul Ryan (Wis.), Pete Sessions (Texas), Jeb Hensarling (Texas), Pete Hoekstra (Mich.) and Dan Lungren (Calif.), along with Republican Sens. Jim DeMint (S.C.), Jon Kyl (Ariz.), Tom Coburn (Okla.), John Ensign (Nev.) and Bob Corker (Tenn.). The non-lawmakers present included Newt Gingrich, several years removed from his presidential campaign, and Frank Luntz, the long-time Republican wordsmith. Notably absent were Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) -- who, Draper writes, had an acrimonious relationship with Luntz. 

I can guarantee you that as a Republican for over 40 years, I would have quit the Republican Party in 2009 if I knew about this.  Instead I helped elect some of the worst candidates ever in other states in 2010 and swallowed the koolaid on the Ryan budget since his wife was from Oklahoma -- he seemed like a stand-up guy.  He was not a stand-up guy but someone from the far right that I used to get in arguments with on Free Republic as an active poster under the name "PhiKapMom."

In 2007, it came out in a Washington paper that I was part of the purge on Free Republic because I wasn't posting but I was in FL for my granddaughter's birthday and then going to Chicago for a visit with my new grandson.  Now that I look back with what I know now, it is beginning to make sense.  The purge showed how more common sense conservatives were already being destroyed by the far right.  Learned when I got back about the purge and the new websites that had formed.  Didn't understand it then, but do today -- the leadership of the Republican Party did not want voices of reason speaking out on websites.  Do I believe they sent out their minions to do the job?  Absolutely!

I was not part of the purge but never felt the same about a site that I had trusted for years and it culminated in my not posting much after 2008 since I had supported Rudy and didn't feel welcome so they might as well have purged me.  I would support Rudy all over again because he had some very good ideas and could care less about the social issues.  The 'my way or no way' crowd finally made me stop and realize they were too far right for me.  I don't remember the last time I even read the site but I am sure their posters would agree with this article from April which I missed because of being gone.

Cannot even tell you the contempt I have for this group since I helped get some of them elected.  Was told several years ago that Senator Jim Inhofe was one of the few honest people in the Congress -- like him or detest him -- he says what he thinks.  Knew something was wrong earlier this summer when he was talking about working with Senator Barbara Boxer on the Transportation bill to bring jobs to states and start to fix the infrastructure and had some harsh words for House Republicans.  I never thought I would see him working with Boxer or her with him.  Both put their partisanship aside for the good of Americans -- what a novel idea in this partisan Congress.  (sarcasm)

Senators Inhofe (R-OK) and Boxer (D-CA) along with Cong Lankford (R-OK) and other House members from both parties of the House Transportation Committee worked to get the bill passed in the House where the bill was being stalled.  The House was failing to act on the Transportation Bill that would bring jobs and help fix our infrastructure.  Can remember the frustration here in Oklahoma from these two members of Congress at how slow this bill was progressing when it should have been a slam dunk.   Finally on 28 June the House got a clue they had better act on the Transportation bill to help America by passing the bill with 55 Republicans and 108 Democrats in the House voting against the bill which was signed into law by the President the end of June.  With all the road construction going on in the states, would say between the stimulus and this House bill anyone who wants a job in road construction can find one.

Senators Inhofe and Boxer showed what can happen when you do put political partisanship aside and work for the good of all Americans.  Shame more members of Congress don't share their willingness to work together across the aisle putting partisan gamesmanship aside for the good of the American people. This article from April gives the reasons why this has become an obstructionist Congress:

Robert Draper Book: GOP's Anti-Obama Campaign Started Night Of Inauguration Posted: 04/25/2012 2:53 pm Updated: 04/26/2012 10:09 am 

WASHINGTON -- As President Barack Obama was celebrating his inauguration at various balls, top Republican lawmakers and strategists were conjuring up ways to submarine his presidency at a private dinner in Washington. 

The event -- which provides a telling revelation for how quickly the post-election climate soured -- serves as the prologue of Robert Draper's much-discussed and heavily-reported new book, "Do Not Ask What Good We Do: Inside the U.S. House of Representatives." 

According to Draper, the guest list that night (which was just over 15 people in total) included Republican Reps. Eric Cantor (Va.), Kevin McCarthy (Calif.), Paul Ryan (Wis.), Pete Sessions (Texas), Jeb Hensarling (Texas), Pete Hoekstra (Mich.) and Dan Lungren (Calif.), along with Republican Sens. Jim DeMint (S.C.), Jon Kyl (Ariz.), Tom Coburn (Okla.), John Ensign (Nev.) and Bob Corker (Tenn.). The non-lawmakers present included Newt Gingrich, several years removed from his presidential campaign, and Frank Luntz, the long-time Republican wordsmith. Notably absent were Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) -- who, Draper writes, had an acrimonious relationship with Luntz. 

For several hours in the Caucus Room (a high-end D.C. establishment), the book says they plotted out ways to not just win back political power, but to also put the brakes on Obama's legislative platform. 

"If you act like you're the minority, you're going to stay in the minority," Draper quotes McCarthy as saying. "We've gotta challenge them on every single bill and challenge them on every single campaign." 

The conversation got only more specific from there, Draper reports. Kyl suggested going after incoming Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner for failing to pay Social Security and Medicare taxes while at the International Monetary Fund. Gingrich noted that House Ways and Means Chairman Charlie Rangel (D-N.Y.) had a similar tax problem. McCarthy chimed in to declare "there's a web" before arguing that Republicans could put pressure on any Democrat who accepted campaign money from Rangel to give it back. 

The dinner lasted nearly four hours. They parted company almost giddily. The Republicans had agreed on a way forward: 

Go after Geithner. (And indeed Kyl did, the next day: ‘Would you answer my question rather than dancing around it—please?’) 

Show united and unyielding opposition to the president’s economic policies. (Eight days later, Minority Whip Cantor would hold the House Republicans to a unanimous No against Obama’s economic stimulus plan.) 

Begin attacking vulnerable Democrats on the airwaves. (The first National Republican Congressional Committee attack ads would run in less than two months.) 

Win the spear point of the House in 2010. Jab Obama relentlessly in 2011. Win the White House and the Senate in 2012. 

"You will remember this day," Draper reports Newt Gingrich as saying on the way out. "You’ll remember this as the day the seeds of 2012 were sown." 

Draper's timeline is correct. On Jan. 21, 2009, Kyl aggressively questioned Geithner during his confirmation hearings. On Jan. 28, 2009, House GOP leadership held the line against the stimulus package (Senate GOP leadership would prove less successful in stopping defections).
The votes, of course, can be attributed to legitimate philosophical objection to the idea of stimulus spending as well as sincere concern that the secretary of the Treasury should personally have a clean tax-paying record. But what Draper's book makes clear is that blunt electoral-minded ambitions were the animating force.

Whether or not that's shocking depends on the degree to which one's view of politics has been jaded. What's certainly noteworthy is the timing. When Mitch McConnell said in October 2010 that his party's primary goal in the next Congress was to make Obama a one-term president, it was treated as remarkably candid and deeply cynical. Had he said it publicly in January 2009, it would likely have caused an uproar.  

By extension, however, the Draper anecdote also negatively reflects on the Obama administration for failing to appreciate how quickly congressional Republicans would oppose the president's agenda. 

Source:  Sam Stein, Huffington Post

The nerve of these Republican members of Congress to meet on the night of President Obama's Inauguration to plot on how to make him a one term President is shocking not to mention disgusting.  What has happened to today's members of the Republican Party who will put politics and the Party ahead of what is good for America?  Their stalling tactics are causing the recession to last longer then it should.  Hope they are very proud of themselves for what they have done to this Country.  If anyone has any doubts about why many of us are refusing to support Republicans in 2012, read the above story and see just how dishonest the leadership of the Republican Party has become.

Thanks to Clinton, I went back and dug up this story to showcase just how the obstruction in the House and Senate was planned from Day One.  No wonder Olympia Snowe is not running for reelection as she was known for working across the aisle for all Americans.  The hostile takeover of the Republican Party by the far right and Romney is making a lot of us stop and think about staying in a party that is so far right they have lost their moral compass on what is best for all Americans.

Their racist attacks on the President and others have not gone unnoticed.  The bigotry of the Republican Party today is on display for all to see as leaders made their comments and innuendos toward the President and then run out to apologize not understanding how anyone could think the comment was racist.  That is pure Bravo Sierra on the part of the Republican Party leadership and the conservative pundits like Rush who has gone so far over the top in this election only someone who wants to be a follower not a thinker could stand to listen to his rhetoric which now we learn was planned from Day One.

Think twice and then think again before voting for national Republicans in this election unless you know them personally because frankly this group in the House need to be defeated along with some Senators.  Hope in 2014 that Kentucky Republicans get a clue and retire Mitch McConnell for the use of the filibuster leading to a record number to stop bills that would have helped the economy.  Looks like this group of House and Senate leadership care more about the big donors then the middle class many of who are Republicans.

Is this all about keeping the tax cuts for the rich along with the loopholes so they can continue to take deductions for expenses for their offshore business adventures off their income tax but don't have to claim any income?  Waiting for the other shoe to drop on that one!

Top Ten Reasons House Democrats Don’t Want to Vote for Senate Democrats’ Health Care Bill Plus Warning Shot Video by Senators

Senators Thune (SD), Coburn (OK), DeMint (SC), and Wicker (MS) have fired a warning at the House Democrats with this You Tube Video on Reconciliation. All four are former House members and know how the House works. These four Senators are telling Democrat House members straight out that you cannot depend on the Senate to get your changes passed for several reasons:

1. The minute the House passes anything to do with Reconciliation, there will be a Court case filed by the Senate because it will be against the law. Only after a bill is signed into law can there be Reconciliation.

2. The Republicans in the Senate will use every means necessary to stop this bill for the American people. The pro-life Senators in the Senate will vote against the Stupak amendment so the House is on notice there will be no changes.

3. Once the House signs off on the Senate Bill, the Senate can get Obama to sign the bill and never do Reconciliation.

Bottom line is the Democrat House Members cannot trust the Senate Democrats!

After this video, the House Democrats better be thinking long and hard why they should not vote for this Senate bill. Senate Republican Policy Committee has compiled the Top Ten Reasons why Democrat House Members should not to vote for the Senate Bill. We would hope that there are enough 'Common Sense' Democrats in the House to understand what a pork laden bill this Senate Healthcare bill has become and help Republicans defeat the Senate bill in the House. Only time will tell how many House Democrats are going to stand with Republicans to defeat this bill in the House or will some at the last minute cave to Pelosi?

Healthcare does need fixed but the Senate bill needs scrapped along with other Democrat lengthy healthcare bills. A 'Restart' button needs pushed to fashion a bill with bi-partisan support that is short and easy to understand with no pork. Some Democrats are on board in the House for a 'Restart' but only time will tell if enough House Democrats have spines to stand up to the full court press they are getting by Speaker Pelosi and leadership cracking their whips to get them in line.

Top Ten Reasons House Democrats Don’t Want to Vote for Senate Democrats’ Health Care Bill

Recent press reports indicate that Speaker Pelosi and House Rules Committee Chairwoman Louise Slaughter have attempted a procedural ploy—the "Slaughter Solution"—to shield wary House Democrats from having to take an up-or-down vote on the widely unpopular health legislation that passed the Senate in December.i While press reports about potential parliamentary obstacles have raised newfound questions about this strategy, the RPC has compiled a list of reasons why House Democrats want to avoid voting on controversial provisions in the Senate bill that did NOT appear in the House-passed measure (H.R. 3962):

1. "Cornhusker Kickback." Section 10201(c)(4)—entitled "Equitable Support for Certain States" (page 2129)—provides that the state of Nebraska—and only Nebraska—will see its full Medicaid costs paid in perpetuity by taxpayers in other states.

2. Federal Funding of Abortion. Section 10404 of H.R. 3590 (pages 2070-2086) would permit federal funds to subsidize plans covering abortion, would permit a multi-state health plan to offer abortion coverage, and would require citizens in states that have opted-out of elective abortion coverage in their own exchange to fund federal subsidies for plans that cover elective abortion in other states. In addition, Section 10503(b) of the bill (page 2356) includes $7 billion in new mandatory spending on community health centers—funding that is NOT subject to any restrictions prohibiting federal dollars from funding elective abortions.

3. "Cadillac Tax" on Health Plans. Section 9001 (page 1941) imposes a tax on "Cadillac" health plans. The vast majority of the tax would be imposed on individuals with incomes under $250,000,ii thus breaking one of the central promises of then-Senator Obama’s presidential campaign and infuriating Democrats’ "Big Labor" backers.iii

4. The "Louisiana Purchase." Section 2006 (page 428) provides an extra $300 million in Medicaid funding to Louisiana.iv

5. Tax on Hiring Low-Income Workers. While the House bill imposes an across-the-board payroll tax on firms that cannot afford health coverage for their workers, Section 1513(a) of the Senate bill (page 345) singles out employees who rely on health insurance subsidies for its new "tax on jobs" in the form of a penalty of up to $3,000 per low-wage hire, thus discouraging firms from hiring these workers.

6. "Gator Aid." Section 3201(g) of the bill (page 878) shields 800,000 Florida residents from Medicare Advantage cuts. In December, 57 Senate Democrats voted not to extend this special deal to all Medicare beneficiaries nationwide.v

7. Raid on Social Security and Related Entitlements. The Congressional Budget Office recently confirmed that the 10-year deficit savings under the Senate bill ($118 billion) will be exceeded by the new revenue generated by Social Security ($52 billion) and a new long-term care entitlement ($70.2 billion). Since this $122.2 billion in new revenue will eventually be paid back out in Social Security and related claims costs, the Senate bill either raises the deficit or raids the Social Security Trust Fund in order to pay for the bill’s new health care entitlements.

8. Construction Firms Singled Out for Higher Taxes. Section 10106(f)(2) of the bill
(page 2107) provides that, while firms with fewer than 50 workers in every other industry would be exempt from the Senate bill’s "tax on jobs," construction firms with as few as five workers would be subject to the bill’s harsh tax penalties. These onerous provisions focused on one industry could further undermine a construction sector currently suffering from a 27.1% unemployment rate.vi

9. New Board of Bureaucrats to Constrain Medicare Spending. Section 3403 of the bill (page 982) establishes a new board of unelected bureaucrats empowered to make binding recommendations on cost reductions in Medicare. Many may be concerned that the bill could insert bureaucrats between patients and doctors, particularly given President Obama’s comments that there needs to be a "difficult democratic conversation" about what the President views as excessive spending on end-of-life care.vii

10. Backroom Deal for Insurer Proposing 56 Percent Rate Increase. Section 10905(c) of the bill (page 2394) includes language exempting Michigan Blue Cross/Blue Shield from the new tax on health insurers, despite an Administration report highlighting the insurance carrier’s proposed 56% rate increase in 2009.viii

The "Slaughter Solution" would attempt to bypass all these unpopular provisions by having the House enact the Senate bill into law without ever actually voting on the Senate bill—which would put House Democrats at odds with President Obama’s call for an "up-or-down" vote on health care legislation.ix Given the backroom deals and controversial provisions included in the Senate-passed bill, it is not surprising that House Democrats maintain their reluctance to vote for a bill widely rejected by the American people—with nothing more than a promise from Senate Democrats to try to "fix" the bill through the uncertain reconciliation process or at some later time.

i “Slaughter Preps Rule to Avoid Direct Vote on Senate Bill,” CongressDailyAM March 10, 2010, available at http://gopleader.gov/UploadedFiles/CD_03-10-10_Slaughter_Preps_Rule_To_Avoid_Direct_Vote_On_Senate_Bill.pdf.
ii The Joint Committee on Taxation found that in 2019, 84 percent of the revenue from the “Cadillac” tax would come from families making under $200,000 annually. JCT document #D-09-24, analyzing the Reid substitute for H.R. 3590, November 19, 2009, p. 4.
iii Presidential campaign speech in Dover, NH, September 12, 2008, relevant excerpt available at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q8erePM8V5U.
iv “Dems Protect Backroom Deals,” Politico February 4, 2010, http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0210/32499.html.
v Senate Record Vote 370 on McCain motion to commit, http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=111&session=1&vote=00370.
vi Bureau of Labor Statistics, “The Employment Situation—February 2010,” March 5, 2010, http://www.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/empsit.pdf, Table A-14, p. 26.
vii David Leonhardt, “After the Great Recession,” New York Times May 3, 2009, http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/03/magazine/03Obama-t.html?_r=1&pagewanted=print.
viii White House Office of Health Reform, report on insurance company practices, February 2010, http://www.healthreform.gov/reports/insuranceprospers/insuranceprofits.pdf.

ix President’s Remarks on Health Care Reform, March 3, 2010, http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/remarks-president-health-care-reform.

GOP Senators Vow to Stop Reconciliation - Senators Thune (SD), Coburn (OK), DeMint (SC) Wicker (MS)

Dr. Coburn said about the 13:34 minute mark that a Court Case will be filed immediately if the Democrats in the House/Senate try Reconciliation without the bill being first signed into the law.