Draining the swamp?

[BT]

GOP Target Murtha Over Spending Exchange

By CHARLES BABINGTON
The Associated Press
Friday, May 18, 2007; 7:29 PM



WASHINGTON -- Republicans will seek a House vote next week admonishing a senior Democrat who they say threatened a GOP member's spending projects in a noisy exchange in the House chamber, Minority Leader John Boehner said Friday. Their target is Rep. John P. Murtha, D-Pa., a 35-year House veteran who chairs the appropriations subcommittee on military spending.

Murtha, 74, is known for his gruff manner and fondness for earmarks _ carefully targeted spending items placed in appropriations bills to benefit a specific lawmaker or favorite constituent group.

During a series of House votes Thursday, Murtha walked to the chamber's Republican side to confront Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Mich., a 43-year-old former FBI agent. Earlier this month, Rogers had tried unsuccessfully to strike a Murtha earmark from an intelligence spending bill. The item would restore $23 million for the National Drug Intelligence Center, a facility in Murtha's Pennsylvania district that some Republicans say is unneeded.

According to Rogers' account, which Murtha did not dispute, the Democrat angrily told Rogers he should never seek earmarks of his own because "you're not going to get any, now or forever."

"This was clearly designed to try to intimidate me," Rogers said in an interview Friday. "He said it loud enough for other people to hear."

House rules prohibit lawmakers from placing conditions on earmarks or targeted tax benefits that are based on another member's votes.

Murtha's office, asked for response Friday, issued a three-sentence statement: "The committee and staff give every Democrat and Republican the same consideration. We have extensive hearings and every request is given careful consideration. We will continue to do just that."

Rogers said he will file a "privileged resolution" Monday, which would seek a House vote on whether to reprimand Murtha.

Boehner, R-Ohio, said in a statement the resolution will outline "a blatant abuse of power stemming from a Republican-authored proposal to cut wasteful earmark spending from legislation pending before the House. This egregious action is not only beneath the dignity of this institution, it constitutes a violation of House rules."
The House's top Democratic leaders declined to comment on the Murtha-Rogers incident.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/05/18/AR2007051801350_pf.html

[The_Professor]

Murtha, a current darling of the Left, will get by with this abuse. "Why, oh why, do the Wicked prosper?" a great man once said.

Why? Dunno, but Ultimate Justice always nails 'em!

In this case, interim justice will when the tables are tuned and the Republicans are the Majority Party again. Yes, MT et al, it will happen. It is all cyclical and Congressional memories are long, very long.

This is an example of why Sam Nunn many years ago said he no longer wanted to represent Georgia. He said he got tired of "all the crap!"

[Mucho]

As rotten as this appears, it is only politics as usual and hardly ranks up there with arrempting to molesty young male pages , lying US into war and taking millions in bribes from crooked lobbyists like Abramoff.

[BT]

As rotten as this appears, it is only politics as usual

And it will remain politics as usual as long as folks like you excuse it.

Your team claimed they were going to drain the swamp. Then they don't. Are they liars or hypocrites? or were these campaign promises they had no intention of keeping?

[domer]

Whatever was meant by "draining the swamp," and by whom and according to what strategy, techniques and timetable, Murtha's outburst, churlish though it was, was not among the activities contemplated. To "drain the swamp" is to address and correct, over time with successes and failures alike, the institutional failings of a venerable institution. Acting completely on his own, nakedly in the open, Murtha's self-indulgent episode amounts to one man's pique (does it even have legs?), easily correctable by the very techniques which have brought it to our attention.

[Mucho]

As rotten as this appears, it is only politics as usual

And it will remain politics as usual as long as folks like you excuse it.

Your team claimed they were going to drain the swamp. Then they don't. Are they liars or hypocrites? or were these campaign promises they had no intention of keeping?

You tough guy warmongers are really such wimps inside just like all bullies are. After 6 years of nearly completely ignoring & alienating the Dems, you cry like babies when you imagine even the slightest affront to your arrogance. Grow up , assholes.

[BT]

So you approve of your guys breaking the house rules?

We'll keep that in mind next time you preach from your pulpit.

[domer]

The way your mind works/doesn't work amazes me. Nowhere do I condone Murtha's actions; I just point out that it's not a central part of the "draining the swamp" concept, being spontaneous, open and reported, and an individual, not systemic, problem. Puff that in your pipe.

[BT]

Domer,

Your reply might be valid, but youir insults never are, if i had been replying to you.

My response was aimed at the excusing Knute.

Yes Murtha's lapse was the act of one man. Yes the dem leadership did try to do away with a procedural move designed to protect the minority from the tyranny of the majority and put into practice by Thomas Jefferson himself.

Yes draining the swamp is a noble pursuit.

No .... ignoring earmarks, buddying up to k street and easing the rules in place that limit the effectiveness of those whose sole purpose is to influence the outcome of policy through the wide giving of perks and contributions is not the way to do it.

If they didn't mean to reform they should not have campaigned on that theme.

If you accept the logic of outing gay gop congressmen and staffers because they are in favor of the Defense of Marriage Act and are thus  rank hypocrites and self-loathing homosexuals, wouldn't the same apply to outing corrupt dems who promised a corruption free congress?

[domer]

I don't see it that way based on this incident, which is much less reminiscent of the corruption that led to the (draining the swamp) campaign than it is to individual bile such as Cheney telling Pat Leahy "to go fuck [him]self."

[BT]

According to Rogers' account, which Murtha did not dispute, the Democrat angrily told Rogers he should never seek earmarks of his own because "you're not going to get any, now or forever."

"This was clearly designed to try to intimidate me," Rogers said in an interview Friday. "He said it loud enough for other people to hear."

House rules prohibit lawmakers from placing conditions on earmarks or targeted tax benefits that are based on another member's votes.

So you look at this as just an angry lapse in judgment, because we all know Murtha is clean as the driven snow, and would never do anything that carries the appearance of impropriety? Abscam was just a misunderstanding? Former Chief of Staffers getting huge no bid contracts a simple oversight? His brother employed by the same lobbyists who spearheaded the requests for most of the pork going to his district is an unwarranted attack by the opposition?

Please. You excuse Murtha because other members of congress got caught with their hands in the cookie jar? The only difference i can see is GOP guys when caught resign. Dems make excuses.

[Mucho]

So you approve of your guys breaking the house rules?

We'll keep that in mind next time you preach from your pulpit.

I dont eat all the bullshit spewed by my politicians rhey way you gobble up your morons crap. I wish that they had extracted more blood from you  evil pricks who have fucked up our nation and indeed the whole world with your stubborn stupidity.

[BT]

I dont eat all the bullshit spewed by my politicians rhey way you gobble up your morons crap. I wish that they had extracted more blood from you  evil pricks who have fucked up our nation and indeed the whole world with your stubborn stupidity.

So i take that as your tacit approval. What was that Lanya used to post? It OK if you are  democrat?

[Mucho]

I dont eat all the bullshit spewed by my politicians rhey way you gobble up your morons crap. I wish that they had extracted more blood from you  evil pricks who have fucked up our nation and indeed the whole world with your stubborn stupidity.

So i take that as your tacit approval. What was that Lanya used to post? It OK if you are  democrat?

You would take it as approval since you approved of every idiotic thing your masters did. I take everything with a grain  of salt, but you swallow it all.

[BT]

You would take it as approval since you approved of every idiotic thing your masters did. I take everything with a grain  of salt, but you swallow it all.

and yet you defend Murtha.

Must be OK with you.