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Republican Sen. Kit Bond says he regrets voting to confirm Eric Holder as attorney general in February 2009.
The Missouri senator, the top Republican on the intelligence committee, said Holder assured him prior to his confirmation vote that the Justice Department would not reopen criminal cases against those involved in CIA interrogations of 9/11 suspects.
"He said, 'no, not unless circumstances change completely,'" Bond said, recalling Holder's comments during an interview with NBC News. But, Bond said, the attorney general later broke that pledge. "He went back and opened up the whole range.”
Bond's claim that Holder promised not to reopen the cases echoes what the Missouri senator told The Washington Times in an interview shortly before the confirmation vote. "He gave me assurances that he would not take those steps that would cause major disruptions in our intelligence system or cause political warfare," he said in January 2009. A Holder aide disputed that characterization at the time. Holder was confirmed by a 75-21 vote.
The decision to repon the cases “has put all of our intelligence-gathers, who ought to be out on the forefront, in a reflexive, protect-your-neck mode,” Bond told NBC.
Looking back over his 30 years in the Senate, Democrat Chris Dodd said in his Exit Interview that he regrets voting against the confirmation of two of Ronald Reagan's nominees: C. Everett Koop for surgeon general and Jim Buckley for an appellate judgeship.
Buckley was a former senator from New York who had moved to Connecticut. In 1980, when Chris Dodd won his Senate seat, Buckley was his Republican opponent.
A few years after Buckley lost, Reagan nominated him to the D.C. appellate court.
"I was just angry," Dodd said, "and I wrote him a letter afterwards and apologized." Dodd said he let personal resentment "get in the way of making an objective determination about whether he ought to be a judge and I regret it."
Dodd's vote against Koop was "over issues that I didn't really think through very carefully." Koop also received an apology letter from Dodd.
Koop and Buckley were both confirmed.
Republican Sen. Judd Gregg also would like a do-over on a vote he described as "a big, substantive vote." He refused to divulge exactly which vote it was, but shared his misgivings about it.
"I should have done what my gut told me, rather than what my logic told me at the time," Gregg said. "You're always better off to go with your gut."
Leave a Comment:
Dodd if you had an ounce of shame you would have a lot more than that to be regretful about!
Dodd isn't running. He got our message. Now what about the GOP? McCain for instance?
"McCain for instance?"
Which one? There seem to be several of them to choose from.....
Pat, Boston, MA
Dodd isn't running. He got our message. Now what about the GOP? McCain for instance?
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McCain won the GOP primary by a large margin and looks more than likely to win the general in November. What "message" is he supposed to get? Your comment makes no sense.
Pat, I'm with you on McCain but unfortunately his GOP primary opponent was proven to be somewhat unscrupulous during the campaign and lost badly to McCain. Looks like McCain (and I mean no disrespect to this military hero) will be droning on for another six years in the Senate.
@Renee
McCain switches opinions so frequently, I don't understand anymore what he is for or against anymore. One example for you on the switching is immigration and immigration reform.
He is the republican version of John Kerry.
McCain's daughter seems to have more common sense than him these days.
These career politicians such as Dodd and McCain probably cared at one time, but now are only looking for their next pay day. As entwined as Dodd is with the health care industry and mortgage industry, I believe McCain is with the banking industry.
@Pat....go pats!
The thing that blows my mind about McCain- no one I know was the least bit interested in him as the republican candidate. But our idiotic primary system made him, essentially, the only choice still on the ballot come primary time for a lot of us. I think margins would have looked a lot different if we had a national primary day like we have the national election day.
McCain is running in Arizona, I saw the local Fox News channel poll that said 57% of the poll would vote for Sheriff Joe Arpaio for president.
I think this makes it abundantly clear.
Mitch McConnell said today he is going to vote NO on President Obama's tax cuts for the middle class. Trust me, this is a vote McConnell will never regret. He's a bad bad person.
I wish Keith would do a Special Comment on the GOP and their in your face hypocrisy. The Republicans have all but put up in neon lights that they are for the wealthy ONLY. Maybe we should start using highway billboard signs and showing the American people just how often Boehner and McConnell voted NO for middle class/working class relief, whether it be education care reform, stimulus (jobs) and tax cuts. These types of signs would look great At OneNation. Every sign be a NO sign. With McConnell and Boehner's faces everywhere.
Think Progress:
NBC’s Meet the Press, CBS’s Face the Nation, Fox News Sunday, CNN’s State of the Union, and ABC’s This Week are the five major Sunday talk shows that aim to bring “a diverse group of voices” that “reflect the cultural, economic, and political landscape” of the U.S. However, according to a new study published by George Mason University School of Law this month, the Congressional guests featured in 2009 were anything but diverse, failing not only to represent the demographics of the American population but also the diversity of Congress. In fact, according to the study, the congressional voice was disproportionately represented by one type of guest in 2009: “white, male, senior, and Republican”:
“In 2009 the talk shows told us (by their selection of Congressional guests) that the people who matter are disproportionately white, male, senior and Republican — disproportionate not just when compared to the American population overall, but also when compared to the population of Congress itself,” concluded a study published this month in The Green Bag, a quarterly journal supported by the George Mason University School of Law.
The study, of the five network Sunday shows from February to December 2009, found that while 14.6 percent of members of Congress were minorities, just 2.5 percent of the Congressional TV guests were minorities; and that while 16.9 percent of members were female, 13.5 percent of the guests were female.
The study also singled out “the 49 white, male U.S. senators in office six-plus years” who represented 9.2 percent of the Congressional populace, but 61.4 percent of the TV guests.
This Week’s executive producer Ian Cameron explains that “bookings are dictated by the news and newsmakers” and “few of those newsmakers in top leadership positions are women or members of minorities.” In reviewing 2009, he noted that the guests relevant to the most prevalent issues were “white and mostly men.” According to the study, the top guests were Republican Sens. Mitch McConnell (R-KY), Lindsey Graham (R-SC), John McCain (R-AZ), and Jon Kyl (R-AZ). The Republican leadership “appeared on these shows a total of 43 times” while Democratic Leadership, including the first female Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), “appeared only 11 times.” And 2010 is shaping up to be more of the same, with McConnell “again leading the pack – appearing 10 times on Sunday shows – a rate even higher than he achieved in 2009.” (HT: Media Decoder).
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The Nineteenth Amendment (Amendment XIX) to the United States Constitution prohibits each state and the federal government from denying any citizen the right to vote based on that citizen's sex. It was ratified on August 18, 1920. Women finally got the right to vote. Finally.
Speaker Nancy Pelosi gets barely a mention on the talk show circuit. A woman who is 1,000,000 times the best legislator we have for the middle and working class. These others are deadbeats. But the hosts love 'em. It's why I don't watch any of these programs. I watch CSpan and learn a great deal about people in this country who actually went out there and made a difference.
Nancy Pelosi will soon be among them.
____________
The Emancipation Proclamation
President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863, as the nation approached its third year of bloody civil war. The proclamation declared "that all persons held as slaves" within the rebellious states "are, and henceforward shall be free."
Although the Emancipation Proclamation did not end slavery in the nation, it captured the hearts and imagination of millions of Americans and fundamentally transformed the character of the war. After January 1, 1863, every advance of federal troops expanded the domain of freedom. Moreover, the Proclamation announced the acceptance of black men into the Union Army and Navy, enabling the liberated to become liberators. By the end of the war, almost 200,000 black soldiers and sailors had fought for the Union and freedom.
_________
Barack Obama and Nancy Pelosi. We have come such a long long way in this nation of ours. And President Obama and Speaker Pelosi are two of the hardest workers I have ever seen in DC. And they are working for us, the American people.
"They (the Republicans) will take food out of the mouths of children in order to give tax cuts to the wealthiest. " Nancy Pelosi
Enjoyed your comment. So much for fair and balanced--seems the media needs to do a better job of inviting democrats.
"They (the Republicans) will take food out of the mouths of children in order to give tax cuts to the wealthiest. " Nancy Pelosi
And you think we've come a long way? All this means is that we have politicians both male and female that insult others with no regard for the truth. That was a stupid statement from Pelosi. That you would think that is a good thing to say speaks volumes about you.
Oh and by the way Pat, Pelosi is one of those rich people. Off the backs of Samoans.
"They (the Republicans) will take food out of the mouths of children in order to give tax cuts to the wealthiest. " Nancy Pelosi - Yeah, she would be so much more happy if it went into her elitist pocket instead. Let's see - two years and still blaming everyone but themselves, the experiment did not work - try something different. They load us up on taxes, and no one wants to spend anything to get the economy going - great plan - keep repeating it. The definition of insanity is repeating the same mistake and expecting a different outcome!
You really wanted to quote Pelosi?
Here, how about this one "I will drain the swamp". LMAO
We all know how that went. The swamp is not drained, it is alive and well with Nancy "The Swampmonster" Pelosi in charge.
Geesh, don't quote retards, it makes you look like you are grasping for straws because your party is dying... oh wait....
That was a great comment.
On top of that I would like to add that the congress in spite of all the criticism has been one of the most productive in a long long time.
Time will tell how successful their work is. But their has not been enough time to tell so far contrary to the misinformed press and polls.
Oh don't forget Pelosi...."We have to pass the healthcare bill to know what is in it." Obama's healthcare bill will be repealed and replaced. In January after the democrats have lost their majority Obamacare will be defunded. Too bad - so sad!!
Nancy Pelosi is not the brightest bulb in the box - she has shown America that time and again.
Too bad her district doesn't vote her out.
Pat....you just keep on drinking that Obama kool-aid, Buttercup! Wait until next year when all the ObamaCare taxes take effect. There's more people living in poverty now than there has ever been thanks to the Great Divider-in-Chief and his cohorts! And what will they all do when they run out of other people's money????
Thanks for the socialist manifesto. Do you live under a rock?
We will get a new Congress in November, finally.
Yeah, right. They (over)spent more money and obligated more in the future in 4 years than has been "accomplished" ever.
They also have the lowest rating of all time, and deservedly so.
Pat..You are insane.
I love Pelosi quotes:
She supports using the word to defend policy debates on healthcare, yet supports partial birth abortion? I guess we pick and choose what policy debate to apply it to.
Recognizing the obvious hypocrisy, because if it was the other side of the aisle there would be cries of separation of church and state, I love what this reporter asks:
Wow...thanks for clearing this up for us Nancy...your great. Hypocrite. You can't pick and choose where you are going to apply "the Word" to the public policy debate.
There is hypocrisy on both sides of the aisle that is for sure. I really get bothered by people holding this buffoon (nancy) up to some high moral character. They need to vote her out.
Hind sight.......oh what we would change in our lives "if we only knew". I should have done this! I should have done that!! No matter how intelligent, dumb, wise, or foolish the individual is somewhere in time we all say "if I only knew......!" We, us, everyone, the great, the small, the strong, the weak, the powerful, and the powerless can only do the best we can do, make the best decisions we can at that moment in time. "I'm sorry....." or "I regret....." or any other lament may make a person feel better, and gain some sympathy from others but it still happened. We can only try to learn from these errors and not repeat them. But then we will still make other decisions and repeat the same laments, "I'm sorry....." or "I regret.....". that's what helps make us human.
I suspect President Obama will appoint Elizabeth Warren to chair consumer affairs. I wonder if Dodd would regret voting against her, should that ever come to a vote. I sincerely believe Elizabeth will be appointed to that position, once the Senate adjourns.
From your lips to God's ears. Because there is no one better qualified or better suited to that position. The financial industry messed up our entire economy while lining their own pockets, and they have to be reined in big-time. It is my prayer that Prof. Warren will take that post and use the power to hamstring the fat cats on Wall Street.
I suspect President Obama will appoint Elizabeth Warren to chair consumer affairs. I wonder if Dodd would regret voting against her, should that ever come to a vote. I sincerely believe Elizabeth will be appointed to that position, once the Senate adjourns.
Woops, Sorry for the double post. There is no delete button.
Apparently you didn't even read the article; there was never any mention of the black panthers. It is interesting how people on the left can make up news in their own heads; I guess they believe whatever the voices tell them.
Lenny-2349287
You mean all 3 of them? Yep they are a major threat. How about those two tools that Faux News broadcast endlessly fo their part in taking down ACORN. Odd, Faux News never reported that those two are being sued, and only showed the edited tape, not the unedited that shows the ACORN employee gathering info to tell the authorities of a human smuggling ring. Odd how they only show the things that only hurt Dems. Much like the Shirley Sherrod incident, show they clamored for for her ouster, then when it was discovered it was edited, pretended that they weren't screaming the loudest. One last one, odd how Faux News stopped covering the Iraq War when our soldiers we're dying in droves. Not a mention how Bush & Cheney didn't attend the funerals of the people THEY sent to their deaths.
Lenny, just a tip, try and get your points and ducks in a row before you post
Why would there be a mention of the Black Panthers? It doesn't seem relevant in any way. Bond told his reasons for regretting the vote and the Black Panthers wasn't one of them. Maybe you have an issue with Bond?
Philip...you are insane.
giterdunn
I'm insane for staing facts or insane because I keep forgeting that facts hurt the heads of Repubs and Conservatives. Probably the latter. You seem to have a problem that Fox News or Faux News as some call them. We have 3 Black Panthers causing a stir, ooooh scary. We have a so-called news organization that has made it their business to be the media arm of the Republican Party. And organization that has for years put out their spin and bias toward Dems and within the last 20 months Obama. When called to the table, nothing happens. Hannity to my knowledge still hasn't been waterboarded, Beck calls the sitting President a rascist, and nothing. The whole network get up in arms about an edited video by Breitbart, and pretends they had nothing to do w/ her firing.
But heres the best one, when Darth Cheney shot his friend in the face, and took a few day to report it. What does he do, he goes to Fox because he knows they will softball any questions. After droves of casualties in Iraq during the Fallajuh assault, Fox decides not to report on anymore casualties coming from Iraq or Afghanistan. Fair and Balance my a**. Its nothing more than the media arm now for Republicans to get their message out. Period. And if I'm insane, you must be totally deluded and living in a fantasy world.
Kit Bond wishes he had voted against Eric Holder because he said he wouldn't investigate the CIA "unless circumstances change completely". Sen Bond, apparently decided there would never be a reason for circumstances to change. There was no promise, and anyone with a bit of thinking could see that in Holder's answer The enhanced interrogations were not done by the CIA but by hired contractors--I'd think Mr. Bond would be asking why the CIA hired people with no experience when the FBI has a long history of getting information from detainees.
As for Sen Gregg--he probably didn't want to open a can of worms but he is a deficit hawk; if I were to make a guess, it might be the Bush tax cuts without spending cuts to pay for them.
Holder is a political hack that slammed the AZ1070 before he read it.
There isn't anything he does that isn't designed to further a hard left wing position.
Kirby in idaho
And the entire Bush Justice Dept was fair and unbiased right? We have firing of DA's because they wouldn't play ball, Alberto Gonzales and his" I don't remember", their hiring on what policital party someone claimed. Yeah that Dept was truly sterling and should be the example of every Whitehouse.
You are a tool
Thanks for the insult philip. It was weak, but I guess that is all you got.
This article wasn't about Bush and what happened 6 years ago with the DAs. It wasn't about Gonzales. It was about why a Senator regretted his vote on Holder. I understand your wanting to obfuscate the issue, but Holder is far left wing and the Justice Department is politicized more than ever.
Holder is more than a political hack. He is corrupt and far, far left. There is item after item to support this. His statement about America being a bunch of moral cowards concerning race, the pardon for the tax evading arms dealer at the end of the Clinton administration, the pardons for the FALN Puerto Rican terrorists, and his refusal to prosecute the Black Panthers just to name a few. Holder is clown who has absoutely no business in any type of office but he fits in nicely with his boss.
Kirby & H.....I am in total agreement with both of you! Holder is a carbon copy of his boss!
With the exception of Hilary Clinton, the entire administration is an embarrassment to this country. Obama is a bold faced liar. Eric Holder only go the job because of his race, just like Obama. What America needs are REAL leaders who UNDERSTAND how things work.
Unfortunately, the politcal climate now is that if a caucasion did it first it must be wrong, because black apologists and idiots like Oprah Winfrey villify everything else.
bethcat
With the exception of Hilary Clinton, the entire administration is an embarrassment to this country. Obama is a bold faced liar. Eric Holder only go the job because of his race, just like Obama. What America needs are REAL leaders who UNDERSTAND how things work.
Unfortunately, the politcal climate now is that if a caucasion did it first it must be wrong, because black apologists and idiots like Oprah Winfrey villify everything else.
OKi get what your saying, but i did not realise that 49million votes for Obama because he was black. i did not realise that affirmative action has hit the White House. Eric Holder knows more about the law than you ever will, this is why he got the job.
your last statement is nothen but a bigoted attitude, you need to leave off this blog.
your jelious of Oprah is because SHE IS RICH AS HELL AND BLACK AND I SEE THAT BOTHERS YOU!!!!!
You go Bethcat...I am on your side!
jelious?
Obama did get a lot of votes because he is black. A lot of people thought it would be cool and black voters supported him 95% to 5%. If whites voted in that percentage for a white candidate, you and every left-wing ninny would be screaming.
The votes counted and Obama won. The votes in November will count and the Republicans will take over Congress.
Obama received 53% of the popular vote - and plenty were white (I was one of them).
Considering the alternative, Pres. Obama was the best choice. I believe he has proved himself to be totally committed to his job; i.e., working hard and striving to keep his campaign promises. If only all our elected officials did the same. Most are just pawns of those who financed their campaigns. We, the people, are lucky if anything "trickles down" to us from both our local and federal governments. That's why terms limits are necessary. We don't need an act from congress - just vote out all incumbents after 2 terms. Maybe they'll ALL get the message that they work for we, the people, and we can take them down if they don't do the best for us.
Larry in MS
jelious?
Obama did get a lot of votes because he is black. A lot of people thought it would be cool and black voters supported him 95% to 5%. If whites voted in that percentage for a white candidate, you and every left-wing ninny would be screaming.
Larry, president Obama got the same support (over 90%) as Bill Clinton, jimmy carter, Johnson, John Kennedy, and presidental candidates that lost, such as Humpery, walter mondail. so the only thing you have proven is that black support the democratic candidate. the reverse, reagan got less than 10% of black votes as well as bush 41, bush 43 got above 12%. you said that lefties would be screaming if a white candidate got over 90% of the white vote, well larry that happend all the time. i don't scream about it because this is america and whites vote for whites,
Your Uncle Sammy
Pelosi is an empty suit with boobs!
your uncle sammy, your statement is not needed. you can describe Mrs. Pelosi with out getting imflammitory, but don't worry i reported you. Tyler do the voodo you do and delete this trash. Please!!!!
Hey Jeffy, this forum is for people to express their opinions. Not your opinion so buzz off dude before I tell your mother you are playing on the computer again.
H Stowell
Hey Jeffy, this forum is for people to express their opinions. Not your opinion so buzz off dude before I tell your mother you are playing on the computer again.
only my sister could call me jeffy, and you can't tell my mother i'm on the computer because she is DEAD!!!!!!
this forum is for non imflamitory comments, saying a woman is a empty suit with boobs is sexist. tyler (the guy who polices this blog) has thrown folks off for comments like that. and buzz off, i think your the only one here who is buzzing off, change your underwear!!!!!
Sorry tyler this guy is a goof!!!!!
8 deleted, Your Uncle Sammy with some low-value sexism about the Speaker of the House.
Jeff-1541632, this is no way to get in touch with me. Click the '!' button to report or send reports of particularly egregious stretches here.
Both of you cut it out.
Nothing like a little censorship when someone is so thinned skinned. Pelosi is a public fiqure and is fair game for what anyone has to say about her.
Political correctness rearing its ugly head again. How's that for "voodo".
I don't know about Dodd, but personally I regret almost every one of his votes. Now that he's sucked at the trough publicly for years he can fade into retirement while still receiving a huge monthly check courtesy of the voters.
With the Chi town politics being played, I wonder how many votes from the grave will be on the Dems side in the close ones this time around?
Not surprised by Bond's reply. He's a granite-like partisan to the very end and someone that will not be missed in Congress by anyone other than those Republicans who are like him.
But it's OK for the Dems to cut food stamps to pay for the teacher's union bailout right?
FastZ
Cutting Food Stamps was the Repub suggestion to get the Unemployed benefits passed. get your facts straight. Then, why would Repubs wants anyone to get food stamps anyway? The poor and middle class are beneathe them anyway
Philip,
Could you cite the republicans whose idea it was to cut the food stamps to pass this bill because I can?
Two Republicans voted for this bill. SO GET YOUR FACTS STRAIGHT. Most republicans voted against this bill. So if there were just a couple republicans voting for this bill, could you explain to the rest of us how cutting the food stamps is their fault?
It is shocking that the dems would want to bail out a union right before election time isn't it?
Here are the two btw: Mike Castle (who lost his primary today) and Joseph Cao
it's not these guys' fault. it's the same people who kisses these guys' $asses in the last decade or so. Never re-elect anyone.
Nancy "you have to pass the bill to know whats in it" Pelosi is one of the biggest fraud's in Congress. She is in a safe seat in San Fran but she will soon be the ex speaker of the house and flying commercial instead of on US private jet. Great to see.
At least they did not vote for Obamacare, Funds for Friends and Permanant Wall Street Bailout like most of the gutless weasels
Does anyone have a clue exactly how much Nancy Pelosi costs the taxpayers of this country because she believes that she is too important to fly commercial and commandeers her own big jet to fly her back and forth across the country every week? My guess is that we are talking many, many millions every year. Think about how many schoolchildren this could provide healthy lunches for! How many suffering from childhood cancer it could provide medication for! This is not someone I would call a good person. She is self-centered and obviously considers herself more important that the children who could benefit from her extravagance. When she stops burning this huge amount of money and contributes it to needy children, I'll start considering her a real human being and not until.