GOP RAMS PAYROLL TAX CUTS EXTENSION, KEYSTONE XL PIPELINE THROUGH HOUSE

Published December 13, 2011

| Associated Press

December 13, 2011: House Speaker John Boehner of Ohio, 
center, accompanied by fellow Republican leaders, meets with 
reporters on Capitol Hill in Washington. (AP)
 

WASHINGTON –  Defiant Republicans pushed legislation through the House Tuesday night that would keep alive Social Security payroll tax cuts for some 160 million Americans at President Barack Obama's request -- but also would require construction of a Canada-to-Texas oil pipeline that has sparked a White House veto threat.

Passage, on a largely party-line vote of 234-193, sent the measure toward its certain demise in the Democratic-controlled Senate, triggering the final partisan showdown of a remarkably quarrelsome year of divided government.

The legislation "extends the payroll tax relief, extends and reforms unemployment insurance and protects Social Security -- without job-killing tax hikes," Republican House Speaker John Boehner declared after the measure had cleared.

Referring to the controversy over the Keystone XL pipeline, he added, "Our bill includes sensible, bipartisan measures to help the private sector create jobs."

On a long day of finger pointing, however, House Democrats accused Republicans of protecting "millionaires and billionaires, `' and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., derided the GOP-backed pipeline provision as "ideological candy" for the tea party-set.

After the House vote, the White House urged Congress on in finishing work on extending the tax cuts and jobless aid. Press Secretary Jay Carney issued a statement that didn't mention the pipeline but renewed Obama's insistence that the legislation be paid for, at least in part, by "asking the wealthiest Americans to pay their fair share" in higher tax levies.

Lawmakers "cannot go on vacation before agreeing to prevent a tax hike on 160 million Americans and extending unemployment insurance," he said.
 

Republicans mocked Obama's objections to their version of the bill.

"Mr. President, we can't wait," said House Majority Leader Eric Cantor of Virginia, employing a refrain the White House often uses to criticize Republicans for failing to take steps to improve an economy struggling to recover from the worst recession in decades.

Voting in favor of the legislation were 224 Republicans and 10 Democrats, while 179 Democrats and 14 Republicans opposed it.

At its core, the measure did include key parts of the jobs program that Obama asked Congress to approve in September.

The Social Security payroll tax cuts approved a year ago to help stimulate the economy would be extended through 2012, avoiding a loss of take-home income for wage-earners. An expiring program of unemployment benefits for the long-term jobless would remain in place, although at reduced levels that the administration said would cut off aid for 3.3 million.

A third major component would avert a threatened 27 percent cut in payments to doctors who treat Medicare patients, a provision Republicans added to appeal to conservatives but one that the White House and Democrats embrace, too.

While the tax and unemployment provisions were less generous than Obama sought, he and Republicans clashed principally over steps to cover the estimated $180 billion cost of the measure, and on the proposed 1,700-mile Keystone XL oil pipeline from Canada through environmentally sensitive terrain in Nebraska to the Texas Gulf Coast.

Obama recently delayed a decision on granting a permit for the pipeline until after the 2012 election.

The payroll tax legislation was one of three major bills that Congress was struggling to finish before adjourning for the year, and by far the most contentious.

A measure covering Pentagon spending was ready for passage, and, separately, negotiators said they were close to a deal on a $1 trillion measure to fund most government agencies through the end of the budget year.

That deal was in limbo, though, with Obama and congressional Democrats using it as leverage to keep House Republicans at the table negotiating a final compromise on the tax and unemployment measure.

It was the final showdown of a year that once brought the government to the brink of a shutdown and also pushed the Treasury to the cusp of a first-ever default.

Those confrontations produced last-minute compromises.This time, leaders in both parties stressed a desire to renew the unemployment tax cuts and jobless benefits that are at the core of Obama's jobs program.

Obama and most Democrats favor an income surtax on million-dollar earners to pay for extending the Social Security tax cut, but Republicans oppose that, saying it is a violation of their pledge not to raise taxes.

Republicans drew attention at every turn to the pipeline, which is backed by some lawmakers in the president's party as well as by the blue-collar unions representing plumbers, pipefitters, electricians, carpenters and construction workers.

Estimates of the jobs that would be produced by pipeline construction vary widely but are in the thousands in a time of high national unemployment. The State Department estimated the total at about 6,000; project manager TransCanada put it at 20,000 directly, and Rep. Dave Camp, R-Mich., said in debate on the House floor it was more than 100,000.

Rep. Eliot Engel, a New York Democrat, said he had an open mind about the pipeline but also said it had no legitimate role in the payroll tax bill. Republicans argued otherwise.
Rep. Fred Upton of Michigan, the chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, said the pipeline's construction would allow Canada to send one million barrels of oil a day into the United States, lessening domestic reliance on imports.

He said Canadian development of a pipeline is a certainty, and lawmakers needed to decide whether they wanted it to end up in the United States or "someplace like China."

Rising conservative GOP star Sharron Angle to speak tonight at event honoring Ronald Reagan

By Verne Strickland / October 27, 2011

Constitutional conservative Sharron Angle of Nevada, who became a GOP icon after almost ousting Harry Reid from his U.S. Senate seat in 2010, is in Wilmington today at the invitation of the New Hanover County Republican Party.

She is slated to headline a sold-out banquet event tonight at the Blockade Runner Beach Resort at Wrightsville Beach.

The reception and dinner honor the late President Ronald Reagan, whose courage, rock-solid conservatism and patriotism won the hearts and minds of millions of Americans -- with the possible exception of Barack Obama, Michelle, Whoopi Goldberg, Stuart Smalley and Joy Behar.

Angle has shown herself to be a confident, capable candidate and force to be reckoned with. While she almost shorted out Senator Reid’s pacemaker, she came across in an early afternoon news conference as positive, thoughtful, focused and engaging. And conservative. I may have already mentioned that.

At the news conference, presided over by Rhonda Amoroso, New Hanover County GOP chairwoman, I asked the prominent visiting Nevadan what advice she might offer to Republican Congressional candidate Ilario Pantano, who is in the midst of a primary battle to win the right to whip incumbent Democrat Mike McIntyre.

Angle: The best advice I can give to anyone who is entering into the public arena is to walk your talk. Don’t just tell us what you’re going to do – but do what you tell us. We’ve become very cynical as voters out here. We’ve heard the smooth talkers, and we’re not buying it anymore. What we want to know is that you will stick to your promises. And your campaign speeches and statements need to reflect the Constitution. 

VS: What are your own political plans going forward?

Angle: At the moment I’m the chairman of Our Voice PAC, and, in fact, if you want to get a copy of my book, “Right Angle, One Woman’s Journey to Reclaim the Constitution,” and you’re not able to come this evening, you can go to our website ourvoicepac.org or sharronangle.com, and you can get a copy of that book. But my goal right now is two-fold – first, to complete what we started with Harry Reid, and that is to remove him from that Senate leadership by doing independent expenditures in four Senate races where we feel like the Democrats are vulnerable. The second goal is to ensure that we have fair and honest elections, so we want integrity in elections – not just in Nevada but across the nation. As the chair of that PAC I can’t run for office, but I could resign as chair and run for office. So what I’m actually saying is that I’m not ruling out any of those options.

                                                    

 **********************

In the news conference, Sharron Angle touched on a range of subjects, such as immigration, honest and transparency in government, the Occupy movement, taxation and jobs. New Hanover County Republican Chairwoman Amoroso said Sharron Angle was sure to be a popular keynoter for the Reagan event because of “her drive, energy, and principles. She is destined to emerge as a leader of national stature.”

www.ncgop.org/county/New-Hanover-county

Senate slaps down House bill -- clock ticks on compromise. Yikes!

Verne Strickland Blogmaster / July 29, 2011

ABC News -- House Republicans Friday evening narrowly passed a proposal to raise the debt ceiling by $900 billion, cut spending by about that much and require another debt ceiling vote in about six months -- only to have Democrats in the Senate scuttle it.

As expected, the Senate voted down -- tabled -- the House Republican bill written by House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio. The vote was 59-41.

Passage of Boehner’s bill could, however, strengthen the Republicans’ position, showing their unity as they enter negotiations with the Senate on what kind of compromise can ultimately pass both chambers of Congress and raise the debt ceiling before Aug. 2, when Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner has said the government will start to default on its debt.

That drama will play out over the weekend and into next week as senators begin consideration of their own bill backed by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., which would raise the debt ceiling through the coming general election and into 2013. The specifics of what language senators will consider are not yet set.

Democrats have noted their lack of input on the Boehner plan and say Republicans have refused to negotiate with them in recent days on a deficit reduction deal.

Republicans have pointed out that the Boehner plan and the earlier Cut, Cap and Balance Act are the only deficit reduction plans to pass a congressional vote in recent days.

A spokesman for Speaker Boehner reacted to the Senate's vote in a written statement.

“For the second time, the House has passed a reasonable, common-sense plan to raise the debt limit and cut spending," Boehner press secretary Michael Steel said, "and, for the second time, Sen. Reid has tabled it.  The responsibility to end this crisis is now entirely in the hands of Sen. Reid and President Obama.”

So it appeared the game of "Debt Default Chicken" continued.  The House, following the Senate, is preparing a statement vote of its own. Each side's vote is intended to prove to the other that their debt-ceiling bills can’t pass.

Here’s the plan:

With the 59-41 vote against the Boehner bill behind the Senate, Reid is expected to move to begin debate in the Senate on his own bill to raise the nation's debt ceiling and reduce the deficit. But . . .

At 1 p.m. Saturday, the House of Representatives will have a vote on that Reid debt ceiling bill.  The Republican-controlled House almost certainly will vote it down. Of course, none of this means much.  The real question is when the two sides will negotiate a compromise that can actually pass.

Those negotiations have quietly begun, but it's hard for many observers to see how they can have a deal passed and signed by Aug. 2 if they have not agreed to a compromise deal by midnight Saturday.

If they do have a deal by then, they could have a final Senate vote by Monday morning, setting up House vote late Monday, averting the economic catastrophe they have all been predicting would result from inaction.

But the temperature on Capitol Hill doesn't appear conducive to compromise.

As the Senate voted to table the Boehner bill, a testy exchange played out on the Senate floor as the senators battled over procedure, highlighting the divide that still remains between Reid and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky.

Knowing that Reid at this time does not have the votes to pass his own proposal, McConnell took to the floor and offered to vote on cloture immediately on the Reid measure.

McConnell noted the irony of the House likely voting on the Reid plan before the Senate.

“We would be happy to have that vote tonight, and I would also mention to my friend, the House of Representatives intends to vote on the Reid amendment tomorrow afternoon at 1 p.m.,” McConnell said.

“We would be more than happy to accommodate the majority and have a vote on the Reid budget tonight. The markets are waiting for us to act."


It appeared to be a move to embarrass Reid, who apparently couldn’t hold a vote on cloture -- and win at the 60 vote threshold -- on his bill tonight.

Reid shot back, referencing days of delays in the House vote on Boehner's plan: “Let’s hope they’re more timely in their 1 o'clock vote tomorrow than they have been in the last few days.”

Reid said they would be happy to have a “simple majority vote,” on the proposal. A simple majority vote only needs 50 votes to pass. But McConnell obviously objected to a simple majority. He wanted it voted approved by 60 votes.

“This is almost an out-of-body experience to have someone suggest that we have a 50-vote threshold on a matter of this magnitude here in the United State Senate,” McConnell said. “I’m genuinely perplexed,
genuinely perplexed that my friend the majority leader doesn’t want to vote on his proposal.”

A frustrated Reid exclaimed, “We’ve been negotiating with ourselves,” and then left the podium.
Earlier this evening, after a night and day of uncertainty, cajoling and tweaking, the Boehner bill passed the House by a 218-210 vote.

Like their Senate colleagues, however, Democrats in the House held the line. Not a single one supported Boehner’s proposal. Twenty-two Republicans also opposed their party leadership’s self-described imperfect legislation.

Boehner delivered a fiery speech before the vote began, accusing the White House and President Obama of not offering their own proposal in months of negotiations.

“I stuck my neck out a mile to try to get an agreement with the president of the United States,” Boehner said, pointing out that until last week he was ready to accept some increased tax revenues to achieve a larger deficit reduction bargain.

“Put something on the table,” he yelled. “Tell this country where you are.”

Until last week, Boehner and President Obama were engaged in closed-door negotiations on a “grand bargain” to raise the debt ceiling while also trying to fix the problem of the debt by enacting sweeping reforms to Medicare and Social Security and overhauling the tax code. But Boehner abandoned those negotiations a week ago when he said Democrats demanded too many tax revenues to offset spending cuts.

The plan that passed Friday, also known as the Budget Control Act of 2011, was revised to ensure that a balanced budget amendment is passed by both Houses of Congress before a second tranche of debt limit increase authority is granted to the president in about six months.

The measure would find $917 billion in savings over 10 years, while the debt limit would be increased by $900 billion. The second stage of the plan would create a select joint committee on deficit reduction before the debt limit is increased again.

As Boehner left a meeting with Republicans Friday morning, he announced, "we have a deal," and noted that he was smiling.

He was not smiling Thursday night, when Republicans failed to even vote on an earlier version of the bill that lacked that balanced budget amendment provision. Boehner could only afford to lose support from 24 of his Republican colleagues, but when it became clear he didn’t have the votes Thursday evening after 5 p.m., the planned vote on the bill was delayed.

Including the balanced budget requirement effectively bought more votes Friday, particularly among freshman Tea Party members who came to Congress in 2010 promising to change Washington and rein in spending. To them, a constitutional amendment to balance the budget is key.

Rep. Jeff Landry, R-La., was previously a ‘no’ and announced on Friday he was a solid ‘yea.’

“Votes on the debt ceiling should be a thing of the past. This mess is not about the debt ceiling; it’s about Washington’s addiction to spending,” Landry said in a statement shortly after the meeting. “My fellow freshmen and I are committed to finding a long-term solution to our nation’s debt. A balanced budget amendment will prevent an immediate downgrade of our credit rating and ensure that we’re not right back at this point next year.”

That sentiment was echoed by other rank-and-file Republicans who have decided to drop their opposition to the plan now that there is a mechanism for long-term reform in the legislation.

Senate Democrats now will start the arduous process of bringing up their own bill for consideration. At the end of a days-long process, Reid’s will have to find support from a handful of Republicans to pass his proposal through the Senate.

Republicans have said that many of the cost savings in Reid’s proposal are “phony” -- he counts, for instance, $1 trillion in savings from winding down the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan even though those wars are already winding down. He would raise the debt ceiling for much longer, too. Both proposals create a new Congressional committee on deficit reduction.

It is now up to Congressional leaders to find that deal that can pass both houses of Congress.

ABC News’ Jonathan Karl (@jonkarl), John R. Parkinson (@jrpabcdc), Sunlen Miller, Michael S. James and Z. Byron Wolf (@zbyronwolf) contributed to this report.

Jon Huntsman and family have forged close ties to Harry Reid over the years.

Verne Strickland Blogmaster / June 23, 2011

Back before Jimmy Carter, I gave a few bucks to some Democratic politicians. You know what they say: "After that, he never looked back." Well, I have looked back. A lot. And swore I'd never make that mistake again. I haven't.

I've been quite active in political affairs since then, but always on the right side of the aisle. Jesse Helms did that for me. I worked for him at WRAL-TV in Raleigh, beginning in 1966, stayed on at Capitol Broadcasting Company while he went to the U.S. Senate, then left broadcasting to help Jesse in his successful 1984 re-election campaign.

About that time, the National Congressional Club, Senator Helms' potent political organization, was the key to salvaging the candidacy of the beloved Ronald Reagan, propelling him ultimately into the White House.

Those experiences with the two iconic conservatives left an indelible impression on me. The die was cast. Promoting conservative causes and candidates became a passion that I have pursued in the forty or so years that followed.

All this rambling discourse leads me to my subject -- the proclivity of the Huntsman family, which gave us a new GOP candidate the U.S. presidency, to give money to none other than arch-liberal Harry Reid!

This "failing" in and of itself does not a liberal make, and does not tarnish the Huntsman the family's proud GOP credentials. But it does cut close to the bone, And it must arouse the curiosity of those of us who are looking about for a conservative Republican who has the right stuff to take down one Barak Obama.

The point is, when I scattered unmarked bills of small denomination to help Democrats I didn't even know, it was not a failure but a fumble, and not worth even a smudged footnote in anybody's political annals.

But the Huntsman clan apparently has had more than a fleeting fling in support of the poster child of today's way far left national Democratic Party.

And this might be of some consequence. It may take some strong political sanitizer to get the residue of that close contact with Reid off the hands of Jon Huntsman and his kin.  

Here's what triggered my mild and rambling but sincere rant:

Huntsman's Family Donated $25,000 to Reid

Wednesday, 22 Jun 2011 04:15 PM

By Henry J. Reske NEWSMAX

Newly announced GOP presidential candidate Jon Huntsman and his family have forged close ties to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., over the years. Although Huntsman never has donated to a Reid campaign himself, members of his family, including his parents and brothers, have sent $25,000 to the Senate’s top Democrat, the Las Vegas Sun reported.

While governor, Huntsman appointed Reid’s son, Josh, to Utah’s Board of Regents. Huntsman’s father even spread the goodwill to Democrats in general, sending $5,000 to the Nevada Democratic Party in 2008, according to the Sun.

Apparently the warm feelings are mutual. Reid said this week that he prefers Huntsman, who was President Barack Obama's ambassador to China until recently to front-runner Mitt Romney. “If I had a choice in that race, I’d choose Huntsman over Romney,” he said according to the Sun.

http://www.newsmax.com/InsideCover/Huntsman-Reid-donations-Romney/2011/06/22/id/401029?s=al&promo_code=C7D1-1

No Wonder Harry Reid Likes Jon Huntsman

By Lonely Conservative June 22, 2011

 

The family of Jon Huntsman, GOP presidential wannabe, donated $25,000 to Harry Reid’s campaign in the last election cycle. No wonder Reid is so fond of Huntsman. Huntsman’s family helped to ensure that Reid remained Senate Majority Leader.

The Las Vegas Sun reported today:

Here’s a list of the donations from the GOP candidate’s family to Reid (with help from CQ MoneyLine):

Jon Huntsman, Sr., Karen Huntsman $9,600 (2/4/09)
Peter, Brynn Huntsman $9,600 (12/31/09)
James, Marianne Huntsman $4,600 (11/30/09)
Jon Huntsman, Sr. $2,000 (11/2/04)

http://lonelyconservative.com/2011/06/no-wonder-harry-reid-likes-jon-huntsman/

Huntsman to Obama: You’re a Remarkable Leader; Harry Reid: I Would Pick Jon Huntsman

 June 21, 2011 By Lonely Conservative

When President Obama appointed former Utah Governor Jon Huntsman to be his ambassador to China, Huntsman sent Obama a hand written note before he departed.

“You are a remarkable leader — and it has been a great honor getting to know you.”

Erick Erickson posted a photo of the note. Erickson’s no fan of Huntsman, he believes it was disloyal of Huntsman to quit his job to run against the man who appointed him. I get the point, but I have my own reasons for not caring for the guy. He seems to be running to the left of Obama. I would vote for any one of the GOP candidates over Huntsman.

But why take my word for what a terrible Republican candidate Huntsman would be, when you can take the word of Harry Reid.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid ventured into the 2012 presidential waiting game Tuesday, offering up his pick for the Republican presidential nomination.

“If I had a choice, I would favor Huntsman over Romney,” Reid told reporters after a meeting on Capitol Hill. “But I don’t have a choice in that race.”

 Thank God for that!

http://lonelyconservative.com/2011/06/huntsman-to-obama-youre-a-remarkable-leader-harry-reid-i-would-pick-jon-huntsman/


VS: Well, this stuff is nowhere close to the recent Weiner roast. It doesn't even qualify as a burnt marshmallow. But the story does warrant a second glance. Stay tuned.

URGENT: Contact our Senators Burr and Hagan to oppose cloture and stop Obama's 'Worst Judicial Nominee'

Verne Strickland USA DOT COM  May 17, 2011 TAKE ACTION TO STOP OBAMA'S WORST   JUDICIAL NOMINEE - GOODWIN LIU On Tuesday night, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid filed cloture to end debate on the nomination of Goodwin Liu to the federal appeals court for the 9th District based in California.The vote will be on Thursday and it will take 60 votes to bring Liu's nomination to a vote. Of all the poorly qualified political activists President Obama has  nominated to the federal bench, Liu is arguably the worst of the bunch. An Associate Dean at Berkeley School of Law, Liu has no  trial experience and does not even meet the standards set by the American Bar Association.  A hero to the left for opposing the nominations of John Roberts and Samuel  Alitoto the Supreme Court, Liu, if confirmed, would nevertheless be the  odds-on favoritefor the next Supreme Court vacancy. Liu has made it clear that he believes the constitution is merely a guide to judicial decisions.  In his writings, Liu said he "envisions the judiciary as a  culturally situated interpreter of social meaning."  The key to judicial decisions, says Liu, should be "our collective values,"  "evolving norms," and "social understandings," rather than the Constitution  as written or the laws passed by Congress. How would this philosophy manifest itself?  Well, for one thing, Liu has said  there is a constitutional right to welfare, or as he put it, "negative rights against government oppression" and "positive rights to government assistance" should have "equal constitutional status." Liu's view on criminal law has resulted in the extraordinary opposition  from 42 of 58 District Attorney's in California, where the 9th Circuit  is based. Here's what they said about a Liu paper on criminal law: "This document demonstrated beyond serious question that his (Liu's)  views on criminal law, capital punishment and the role of the federal courts in second-guessing state decisions are fully aligned" with an  appeals court that is "far outside of the judicial mainstream." Other writings by Liu have supported reparations for slavery  and racial quotas to remedy "societal discrimination," a position  rejected by the Supreme Court. Although Liu wants a pass for his past statements, he helped lead the  fight against the Roberts and Alito Supreme Court nominations.  Roberts,  he said in an op-ed, had an "ideological agenda" hostile to the environmental workplace and consumer protections.  Liu testified at Alito's confirmation hearing that the "America envisioned by his (Alito's) record is not the  America we know, nor is it the America we aspire to be."    STOP THE LIU NOMINATION BY TAKING ACTION  NOW.  URGE Sen. Richard M. Burr AND Sen. Kay Hagan  TO OPPOSE CLOTURE ON THE LIU NOMINATION BY  CALLING (202) 224-3154 OR (202) 224-6342 NOW. We at the American Conservative Union thank you for all you do to advance  conservative principles. Sincerely, Al Cardenas Chairman American Conservative Union http://mail.aol.com/33668-111/aol-1/en-us/Lite/MsgRead.aspx?folder= NewMail&uid=1.28885094&seq=3&searchIn=none&searchQuery= &start=0&sort=received

Top Obama Nominee at Justice Department Blocked by Republicans. That'll Work.

 Verne Strickland Blogmaster

 By Trish Turner  /  Fox News / May 09, 2011

President Obama's nominee to be Attorney General Eric Holder's top deputy at the Justice Department crashed into a Republican roadblock in the U.S. Senate on Monday, garnering just 50 votes, 10 short of the number needed to break a GOP-led filibuster.

Dick Lugar of Indiana was the lone Republican to support the nomination. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., switched his vote at the last minute to 'no' in order to have the vote reconsidered at a later date.

James Cole, a veteran Washington attorney nominated in May, had been serving in the position since late December courtesy of a presidential recess appointment, one that expires at the end of the current session of Congress. And despite the bipartisan support of eight former attorneys general, Republicans remained steadfast in their opposition, though nothing about Monday night's vote changes Cole's temporary job status.

GOP problems with the deputy attorney general are two-fold. Not only is there concern about Cole's tenure as an independent consultant to insurance industry giant AIG prior to the company's near-collapse in 2008 and its subsequent government bailout, but Republicans also voiced strong concern about what they believe to be his soft-on-terrorism stance.

Republican senators repeatedly referred to an op-ed the nominee penned in 2002 in the Legal Times in which Cole referred to the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks as "criminal acts of terrorism against a civilian population," and included the attacks in the same vein as "many other devastating crimes" like rape, drug trade, organized crime, and child abuse.

Cole told Judiciary Committee members in his confirmation hearing last year that decisions to try alleged terrorists should be made on a case-by-case basis, not ruling out military commissions for some. The Obama administration has since said it will try the alleged 9/11 terrorists imprisoned at the Guantanamo facility in military commissions.

Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., defended Cole and said, "There's no justification for a failure to act on this critical national security nomination."

But Republicans balked.

Sen. Charles Grassley, top Republican on the Judiciary Committee and primary opponent of the nomination, read out a laundry list Monday of his concerns about the nominee, including his AIG stint, which the senator called "troubling," and Cole's position on captured terrorists.

The Iowa Republican also expressed an opposition to recess appointments, in general, and cited another concern regarding a DOJ oversight issue unrelated to the nominee as reasons for his blockade of the appointment.

The top Republican on the Intelligence Committee, Saxby Chambliss of Georgia, has also lead the fight against Cole. Chambliss has been fighting to get classified information related to the administration's Guantanamo Bay Detainee Review Task Force.

Still others voiced fear about what they see as a growing trend at DOJ.

"I'm not voting for another nominee, and I'm not going to vote for this one, who spent their time defending terrorists," Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala., proclaimed, citing "a tilt in the leadership of the department" that the senator said gives him "great concern" that the department is "getting off base."

Leahy warned that the global war on terror could be impacted by the GOP filibuster.  In a statement to reporters after Monday night's vote, Leahy said, "One week ago, a successful operation led to the death of the world's number one terrorist. Experts and the American people believe that we are now facing a heightened terrorism threat in the wake of the raid upon Osama bin Laden's compound. "

Our success in protecting our Nation depends on the ability of the President to rely on his national security team. Jim Cole is a key member of that team, with a well-deserved reputation for toughness, fairness, and integrity. He has demonstrated the leadership skills and clear-eyed focus on the mission that we need against al Qaeda."

Cole previously served in the Justice Department for more than a dozen years before heading into private practice in 1992. He also served on former President Bill Clinton's transition team in 1992.

http://politics.blogs.foxnews.com/2011/05/09/top-obama-nominee-justice-department-blocked-republicans

Reid would rather murder unborn babies than compromise on spending deal!

By Alexander Bolton - THE HILL 03/17/11

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) declared Thursday that a Republican proposal seeking to ban taxpayer dollars for Planned Parenthood will not be part of any agreement to fund the government for the rest of the fiscal year.

Asked Thursday about the GOP proposal, Reid defended group, which provides abortions, and said the GOP measure will not be part of a long-term funding deal.

“[It] won’t be part of an agreement,” Reid said.

Reid's vow will complicate negotiations on that spending deal. GOP leaders are under intense pressure from their members and outside groups to deny federal funds to Planned Parenthood. Rep. Mike Pence (R-Ind.), who crafted the House amendment, has said it is time to pass his measure. It is one of 67 riders attached to the spending bill cleared by the House last month. Pence's office declined to comment on Reid's remarks.

The Senate on Thursday approved a measure to fund the government for another three weeks, which gives the competing sides a short period of time to reach a new deal.

Democrats on Capitol Hill, including Reid -- who opposes abortion rights -- argue that defunding Planned Parenthood would deprive low-income women of family-planning counseling and cancer screenings.

Nineteen Senate Democrats sent a letter to Vice President Joe Biden on Wednesday pledging to defeat Republican efforts to strip Planned Parenthood of federal funds for the rest of the year.

“We wanted to offer our support in rejecting the ideological, divisive riders passed by the House of Representatives, which serve only a purely political agenda,” they wrote.


The senators say the rider would “effectively shut down health centers that serve three million women each year and provide nearly one million lifesaving screenings for cervical cancer, more than 830,000 breast exams and nearly four million tests and treatments for sexually transmitted infections, including HIV.”

Aides to Reid and House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) met for an hour and a half Wednesday evening to discuss a compromise to keep the government in operation beyond April 8. That’s when a stopgap funding measure passed Thursday by the Senate runs out.


Reid said he reviewed the list of amendments attached to the House-passed bill and found several unacceptable.


"Those that I focused on are not only no, but hell no," Reid said.

Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of the Susan B. Anthony List, criticized Reid on Thursday evening: "Sen. Reid is wrong. Planned Parenthood is an abortion-centered organization and America's largest. It performs more than 300,000 abortions a year, which constitutes at least 37 percent of its revenue, by conservative estimates.... Planned Parenthood must be defunded and it must be defunded now."

http://thehill.com/homenews/senate/150547-reid-defunding-planned-parenthood-cant-be-included-in-spending-deal