Candidate Statements on FISA (updated)

by: Matt Stoller

Thu Oct 11, 2007 at 00:42

Open Thread

by: Matt Stoller

Wed Sep 26, 2007 at 17:25

"As far as "Bush Dog," I think that as long as people use it as a play on the "Blue Dog" Democrat tag that some members of Congress have adopted, it's appropriate."

- The new CBC Monitor is out from Black Agenda Report.  Bush Dogs John Barrow, Charlie Melancon, Mike Ross, Jim Marshall, and Bob Etheridge are showing up on the CBC Monitor as members with more than 25% African-American populations in their districts.

- Lots of good candidates are saying the right things about the Moveon condemnation in the House, but not a lot of incumbents are.  As it happens, I was on the Hill today, and it's stark just how disorganized the Democrats are.  Most of them had no guidance on how to vote, and just went on instinct without having seen the amendment.  The whip operation was either out to lunch or actively encouraged members to vote for this measure to 'make it go away'.  I could see either conventional wisdom pushing the vote this direction or an explicit Clyburn-Hoyer decision.  It doesn't matter anymore.

Here's Dan Grant, TX-10:

McCaul Should Move On

One day after voting against extending the same kind of taxpayer-funded health care he himself enjoy to more than four million eligible American children who have no insurance at all, Mike McCaul has found a cause he can support -- condemning the free expression of opinion by a group of citizens during an important national debate.

The testimony to Congress by Gen. David Petraeus about the civil war in Iraq and what the U.S. should do about it was notable for at least two reasons:

  * The aimlessness of the White House's policy
  * The absence of one of that policy's chief cheerleaders, Mike McCaul

That is, until now. Mr. McCaul has finally roused himself long enough to participate in a shallow charade that does nothing to make us safer, bring our troops home, or make up for rubberstamping the Bush-Cheney administration's misadventure in Iraq.

I served as a civilian in Iraq. I watched all kinds of men and women from all walks of life work their hearts out to try to fix this disaster. And while Mr. McCaul engaged in this pointless theatre, some of those people may have died. Shame on him.

Dan Grant