Soon-to-be Chairman Henry Waxman is in the catbird seat.
The Democratic congressman who will investigate the Bush administration’s running of the government says there are so many areas of possible wrongdoing, his biggest problem will be deciding which ones to pursue.
There’s the response to Hurricane Katrina, government contracting in Iraq and on homeland security, political interference in regulatory decisions by the Environmental Protection Agency and the Food and Drug Administration, and allegations of war profiteering, Rep. Henry Waxman, D-Calif., told the Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce.
“I’m going to have an interesting time because the Government Reform Committee has jurisdiction over everything,” Waxman said Friday, three days after his party’s capture of Congress put him in line to chair the panel. “The most difficult thing will be to pick and choose.”
Bwahahahahahaha!
Looks like the “adults” may have a babysitter.
I’m looking forward to Waxman putting his foot in some GOP ass.
Subpoena the Dickster!
I LOVE the utter absolute silence from pedugger, Jay and SaveFarris.
The silence might be easier to explain if Oliver had made an actual point capable of being debated. “Bwahahahahahaha!” is not one. We’ll just have to see if Waxman uses his position to actually conduct oversight…or to conduct partisan witch hunts.
But, in the meantime, if you want real absolute silence, there’s always Oliver’s silence on the looming selection of impeached and Senate-convicted of bribery Alcee Hastings (D-FL)as chairman of the House Intelligence Committee.
<crickets>
Tuco Ramirez the Rat | Nov 11, 2006 1:35:29 AM
” … if Oliver had made an actual point capable of being debated.”
Tee hee hee, Tuco. The American people made a huge fucking point on Tuesday … one that is reverberating painfully in The Decider’s vacuous brain.
Oliver has reported on many facets of a crystal, crystal loud and clear point.
How old are you people? Do you have any idea what the Democrats are all about? Their natural tendency to love expansion of Federal power goes hand-in-hand with corruption. It’s been 12 years, I know, but someone in this crowd has to be old enough to remember.
It’s going to happen all over again, only this time there’s more oversight, and the the big three networks do not have a triopoly on the airwaves, and the NYT doesn’t call the shots anymore.
This should get interesting fast.
Let me just add one more thing… Although I never liked Clinton much, I always respected him for a man who achieved much, and I respected him also for the office he held. There are very few individuals that I have any sort of vitriol for. I don’t hate Feinstein, or Pelosi, or Schumer. In fact, it would be a pleasure to sit and talk with them and see what makes them tick.
What is it about the left’s lower echelon, that they are filled with such hatred, and react with glee when someone in office that they don’t agree with stumbles? Why the hate? Why the Bwahaha?
I came to a conclusion long ago that there was something wrong with the Left, when all the Deadheads I knew, who professed love and understanding, became downright spiteful and violent when their simple-minded ideas, which they thrust on people at any opportunity, were challenged, even gently. It’s been an archetype of the left that I have been able to count on, ever since. You have some exceptionally fine minds among the leadership, but your rank and file are attrocious, by and large. So much hatred and anger. I can get one to spew and babble all night to anyone, at any kind of event. Just mention Bush and watch them go. You don’t even have to say something nice about him!
Oliver actually hates 50% of his fellow Americans. He seems, in his writing, to hate them more than the people that brought down the towers.
But then… MAYBE BUSH DID IT!
Come on, people, get real.
Oh, and Oliver, I also should mention.. The Left LOVES censorship. Just remember that when you go to delete this, as you have deleted many of my posts in the past. That’s what’s kept me away. I came back to see if you guys had gotten the fever out of your system. I was hoping for a vision. You are exhulting over the ability to get revenge for something stupid and petty.
You have the ball, kids. You cried and screamed for 6 years. Now show us what you have. I fear it is very little.
So, Fox, what you seem to be saying that despite twenty years of being labelled “feminazis”, “red diaper doper babies”, “babykillers” and “satanists”, despite having dozens of books written about us with titles like “Treason” and “Surrounded by Idiots”; despite having asses like you accuse us of not hating terrorists because we have the immortal gall to criticize a president who has done nothing but increase the risk of terrorism… despite all that you just want us to be all nice and civil?
Okay, we’ll try.
Oliver has reported on many facets of a crystal, crystal loud and clear point.
I’ll ask once again, since it seems to have eluded everyone:
What is the thoughtful, appropriate response to “Bwahahahahahaha!” that you criticize certain commenters for reacting to with silence?
Oh, and how come no one on the Democratic side seems to have a problem with the man (Alcee Hastings, D-FL) who was only the sixth judge in U.S. history to be forcibly removed by the Senate being given the House Intelligence Committee?
<more crickets>
Wilbur, I don’t give a rip how civil you are. But are you really proud of geniuses like S, who think that “Bwahahahahahaha!” is some sort of brilliant riposte that has somehow flummoxed commenters who disagree with OW and left them speechless?
Think again.
We’ve still got a lot to talk about.
Getting back to topic, if Waxman is going to exercise true non-partisan oversight, I say more power to him.
Like, for instance, draining the swamp in his own party.
From yesterday’s Washington Post:
Are you kidding me? This is GREAT NEWS. The more partisan investigations you have, the better it is for Republicans. All those independents that moved over to your side after two years is going to think, “What the f**k were we thinking?”
Please, please have Henry Waxman’s face on television as much as possible.
Please Mr. Waxman. Let’s investigate Katrina first. Seriously. And let’s figure out what really happenend in New Orleans. Let’s separate the hype from reality.
I’d like to especially focus on how the Coast Guard and Navy performed , how the goverment handled the logistics before, during and after the hurricane, and on the media claims vs. reality in the Superdome and other areas. Let’s find out how many rapes and murders happened. Let’s find out how many 10’s of thousands were left to die. Let’s even look at the ratio of whites to blacks that were “left to die” and what areas of the city were “allowed” to sustain the most damage. (On a side note, perhaps the party of “culture of corruption” can investigate why a United States Congressman was allowed to divert rescue personnel to retrive items from his personal residence.)
I, like many, would like to hear the full story.
Why would I want this one first? Because I’d like to hear how the largest evacuation and rescue operation in the history of the United States really went down. Good and bad.
And Tuco- while it would be refreshing to hear the Democrats show that the “culture of corruption” catchphrase really meant something, but they know it doesn’t. Thus Mollohan and Hastings will be given a pass. As will Harry Reid and others.
If they prove me wrong, and clean their own house, I’ll be first to say so.
I have to agree with Oliver on this one. BWAAAAA HAAAA HAAAAA.
I expect some payback investigations but lets be real clear, the Republicans did no real oversight or investigation into what Bush has been doing. Abu Ghraib: 13 hours of sworn testimony. They took more testimony investigating if Bill Clinton used more than his fair share of toilet paper in the Oval Office throne room. I look forward into actual investigations into matters that matter to me, torture, warrantless wiretapping, lying about intelligence to bring this country to war, etc etc etc.
I am curious how the Dems will deal with some of Bush’s more flagrant signing statements as well.
And for Marty and Tuco, two members compared to an entire Republican congress associated with Abramof and Enron and Cunningham and Foley and Bush. Dear me. It causes me some concern that Hastings might get a chair. I think the dems should try to block it based solely on his impeachment, despite being found not guilty in his criminal trial. And Mollohan should face investigations and so on, just like every other congressman. I would even say he should be first, then the dozens of Republicans who need investigation.
Enron?
Sheesh. Still got a boner for that?
You guys lost. You lost.
Bwahahahahahaha.
Anyhow, the idea is that we should have oversight of the executive branch. The Republican congress conducted partisan witchhunts of President Clinton, investigating 30yr old land deals and sexual affairs that had ZERO effect on our nation. Then under Bush, they failed to provide oversight of vital issues like war, natural disasters, business scandals, etc. That is the stated function of the United States congress - did you all sleep through history and civics class?
Tuco Ramirez the Rat | Nov 11, 2006 6:47:36 AM
“What is the thoughtful, appropriate response to “Bwahahahahahaha!” that you criticize certain commenters for reacting to with silence?”
Rat, last I looked, there was an introductory sentence and 3 paragraphs beneath the title “Bwhahahahah!”
Did you read through that?
pedugger’s speechless because the Democratic tsunami annihilated every prediction and expectation they’ve been cocky about for months.
Fox | Nov 11, 2006 2:07:41 AM
“Do you have any idea what the Democrats are all about? Their natural tendency to love expansion of Federal power goes hand-in-hand with corruption.”
” … when their simple-minded ideas, which they thrust on people at any opportunity, were challenged, even gently.”
I dunno Fox … sounds very much like The Decider Administration of the last 6 years, ya?
“Do you have any idea what the Democrats are all about? Their natural tendency to love expansion of Federal power goes hand-in-hand with corruption.”
Whoa up there, Sparky.
You say it’s the Democrats who have a problem with corruption? Allow me to second Oliver’s incisive commentary: Bwahahahahaha!
Hasn’t the Gov’t expanded faster under Bush’s watch than in any president of the last 50 years?
Idiot #1:
Idiot #2:
Oversight of the Bush administration was a significant issue in this campaign. Indeed, the conservatives made it one, droning on and on about the danger of Speaker Pelosi investigating the President during war time.
Independent voters will expect oversight and investigations. That’s part of what they were voting for. Of course, no matter what the Dems do conservative morons such as Tuco and Jay will call them witchhunts. That’s a given.
So thanks for playing guys.
Your side lost, get over it.
Fox | Nov 11, 2006 2:07:41 AM
“How old are you people? Do you have any idea what the Democrats are all about? Their natural tendency to love expansion of Federal power goes hand-in-hand with corruption.”
Marty | Nov 11, 2006 10:24:42 AM
“And Tuco- while it would be refreshing to hear the Democrats show that the “culture of corruption” catchphrase really meant something, but they know it doesn’t.”
Even The Decider’s babysitter understands:
“The profile of corruption in the exit polls was bigger than I’d expected,” Rove tells TIME. “Abramoff, lobbying, Foley and Haggard [the disgraced evangelical leader] added to the general distaste that people have for all things Washington, and it just reached critical mass.”
You Republicans sure are whiners.
Funny to see the person above say lefties are full of hate. No, actually it’s just a build up from all the garbage the right has thrown at us for years and years. We were all together on 911, then soon after the Republicans decided they would use it as an issue to beat Democrats over the head with and vilify them as supporting terrorists if they didn’t hop aboard every terrible decision made by the Bush administration.
YOU set the climate…you made the bed, now lie in it and quit bitching just because the American people REJECTED you last Tuesday
I guess I would settle for a series of witch hunts. Especially since we’ve had ZERO oversight for Bush’s entire presidency and numerous scandals that needed investigation and a Republican congress that abandoned the American people.
Getting back to topic, if Waxman is going to exercise true non-partisan oversight, I say more power to him.
Like, for instance, draining the swamp in his own party.
Like the way the Republican’ts drained their own swamp for the last twenty years? Oh, that’s right - they’ve focused on Democratic scandals almost exclusively. Funny, how the Republican’ts can tell Democratic politicians that they should be rooting out scandal within their own party, but are eerily silent about their own corruption. And fairly indignant when someone chuckles over how many different Republican’t scandals there are to be investigated. Sorry yer scaly hide got a bit ruffled there, Rat-boy.
Maybe the Dems didn’t focus on the two or three corrupt members in their midst because they saw scores of corrupt Republican’ts who were in charge of everything, running wildly amok, and much more of a danger and a concern due to their systematic promotion of a culture of corruption. Just a guess on my part, tho…
Oh, and Jay - lay off the meds.
If the Dems simply re-establish the House ethics committee, they will have done more to clean up corruption than the last two Republican Congresses.