TresSugar

What Was That Senator?

GiggleSugar — Thu, 26 Jul 2007 03:00:00 -0700

Can someone please reload the senator? He's skipping again. Either that, or he didn't finish writing his speech before taking the podium and he's now stalling until a conclusion occurs to him. (Because ending his speech without a proper conclusion would just be BARBARIC!)

Senate Questions Interrogation Methods, Study Proves Torture

CitizenSugar — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 08:00:13 -0700

"If the detainee dies, you're doing it wrong." So says John Fredman, then chief counsel to the CIA's counter-terrorism center, explaining in minutes of a 2002 meeting released yesterday, concluding that torture "is basically subject to perception". The minutes were released in conjunction with the Senate Armed Services Committee investigation into the origins of harsh interrogation tactics used on prisoners at Guantanamo Bay and Abu Ghraib.

In a hearing yesterday that spanned eight hours, US military lawyers revealed details showing how techniques like sensory and sleep deprivation and simulated drowning were modeled on training given soldiers on how to resist questioning. Chairman Carl Levin said that explanation "twisted the law to create the appearance of legality".

Correspondence brought to light in the hearing showed concern about such techniques as far back as 2002 with one quote saying, “if we mistreat detainees, we will quickly lose the [moral] high ground and public support will erode.” Then despite objections by military lawyers, then Secretary Donald Rumsfeld approved sensory deprivation, sleep disruption, water-boarding and stress positions. “Officially it is not happening,” Lt. Col. Diane Beaver said in the 2002 information, adding that commanders were concerned that the techniques would be discovered by the Red Cross. To see the White House response, and a new study proving torture, read more.

White House spokesman Tony Fratto refuted the allegations yesterday saying:

Abuse of detainees has never been, is not and will never be the policy of this government. The policy of this government has been to take these detainees and to interrogate them, and get the information that we can get to help protect this country.

The investigation comes in conjunction with a new study released by Physicians for Human Rights who said they have evidence of torture and other abuse that resulted in serious injuries and mental disorders. One of the researchers said, "Some of these men really are, several years later, very severely scarred. It's a testimony to how bad those conditions were and how personal the abuse was."

Is the use of anti-interrogation training methods to create ways to interrogate, twisting the law to create the appearance of legality like Senator Levin says? Is concern over the Red Cross finding out, proof that there was knowledge the techniques were wrong?

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Carly Fiorina's Spotty Voting Record: Shocking or So What?

TresSugar — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 13:00:00 -0700

Former eBay CEO Meg Whitman isn't the only businesswoman gunning for a political career in California. Republican Carly Fiorina, once the head of Hewlett-Packard, wants to challenge Barbara Boxer to her senate seat. Just one problem: she has a very spotty voting record.

According to Morris County, NJ, election officials, Fiorina registered to vote in 1997 but never actually voted there; her record in California isn't consistent either. A Fiorina spokesperson says that while "she didn't vote all the time . . . she did vote." Would you vote for a senator who doesn't vote much herself?

Should There Be Special Elections When Senators Resign?

CitizenSugar — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 14:30:47 -0800

Senator Russ Feingold has plans to introduce a constitutional amendment that would call for special elections when a senator leaves Congress midterm.

In a press release, Feingold explained why he wants to end appointments by governors:

The controversies surrounding some of the recent gubernatorial appointments to vacant Senate seats make it painfully clear that such appointments are an anachronism that must end. In 1913, the 17th Amendment to the Constitution gave the citizens of this country the power to finally elect their senators. They should have the same power in the case of unexpected midterm vacancies, so that the Senate is as responsive as possible to the will of the people.

While the drama-filled headlines about Caroline Kennedy and Gov. Blagojevich make this amendment seem very prudent, there could be some unintended consequences. A president might become reluctant to appoint senators to administration positions for fear that a political rival may win a special election. In addition special elections come with a hefty price tag.

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Senate Passes Stimulus Bill: Now What?

CitizenSugar — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 11:00:27 -0800

The Senate has passed its version of the stimulus bill. After the Democrats secured the votes, Senator Charles Shumer asked Republicans to acknowledge the economic crisis, and "that they actually lost the election.”

The bill passed by a 61 to 37 vote margin. Three Republican senators did cross party lines to vote for the bill, including: Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania, and Olympia Snowe (pictured here), and Susan Collins of Maine. Independents make up the largest majority of voters in Maine, a state that has been hit hard with job loss.

The Senate bill must now be reconciled with the House version that had more aid for states and local governments, along with fewer tax cuts. After the House-Senate conference committee comes up with a compromise bill, the debate and voting will happen again in both chambers.

Meanwhile, President Obama is holding a town hall meeting in Ft. Myers, FL. If you need a recap - positive spin included - the White House Blog is live blogging. Woah!

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Senate Adds Billions of Domestic Programs to War Bill

LibertySugar — Tue, 20 May 2008 11:00:10 -0700

Eying its last chance to pass a spending bill this term, the US Senate has loaded up the Iraq and Afghanistan war funding bill with projects related and unrelated to the wars. Senate Leader Harry Reid's strategy includes separating the two types of funding, while recognizing that it will be difficult to overcome President Bush's looming veto.

The tangent projects, added by Senators of both parties, include:

$50 billion expansion of veterans benefits under the GI Bill
$100 million for local law enforcement to fight drug trafficking along the Mexico border
$50 million to track down child predators
$400 million for rural schools
$1 billion for heating subsidies for the poor
$350 million to fight western wildfires

The Senate's bill comes out to about $10 billion more than the $183.8 billion requested by Bush. Last year, President Bush was too busy objecting to a withdrawal timetable to worry about add-ons. Now that a timetable is off the table, the President is less worried about his flexibility and more focused on satisfactory details.

Is this a good way to legislate? If this is Congress' last opportunity to address crucial funding needs, like veteran benefits, should the legislative body just let the opportunity to pass because the president doesn't agree?

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Senate Votes to Block Iraq Funding. Strategic or Outrageous?

CitizenSugar — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 06:00:25 -0800

Yesterday the Senate led by Democratic Senator Harry Reid, voted to advance a bill withdrawing funding to the war in Iraq.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid announced that "a civil war rages" in Iraq and it's cost shouldn't be the responsibility of U.S. taxpayers.

"Americans need to start taking care of Americans. We cannot spend a half billion dollars every day in Iraq."

Where were the Republicans in this debate? That's where it gets. . . politicky. Though Republicans were expected to block the bill as they've done in the past, Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell decided his party was joining in and voting with the Democrats - but for a different reason. McConnell said passing the bill past this hurdle will allow discussion on the,

"extraordinary progress that's been made in Iraq over the last six months, not only on the military side, but also with civilian reconciliation beginning to finally take hold in the country."

Is this a wise maneuver or does playing politics with the war hit too close to home?

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Rejected Artists: Senate Removes Art From Stimulus Package

CitizenSugar — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 09:30:33 -0800

Looks like the Grammys wish for a secretary of the arts won't be coming true anytime soon. The Senate voted 73-24 yesterday to ensure the arts will not receive any of President Obama's stimulus package.

The amendment will not only hit museums, theaters, and art centers, but also other leisure-loving places like swimming pools, zoos, and community parks. It will "ensure that taxpayer money is not lost on wasteful and nonstimulative projects." Unstimulating art is the worst anyway!

The House's original plan penciled in $50 million - a 1/17,000 piece of the $827 billion pie. Americans For the Arts, an advocacy and lobbying organization, hopes to delete the amendment from the final draft. It's launching an email campaign and placing ads that say "Arts=Jobs" in political journals this weekend.

But when three-quarters of the Senate says no, last-minute efforts to reverse its decision sounds like wishful thinking. Artists!

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Front Page: Al Franken Clings to Lead in Endless Senate Race

CitizenSugar — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 07:40:25 -0800

The Minnesota Canvasing Board is prepared to award the final bundle of recounted votes, with Democrat Al Franken clinging to a narrow lead. But there's still no telling when the Senate race will actually be finished. - AP
In the West African country of Guinea, a previously unknown military group said they seized power and suspended the constitution in the hours following the death of authoritarian President Lansana Conté. - New York Times

Hillary Clinton formally took the $13.2 million loan she made to her presidential campaign off the books, helping ease her campaign debt and pave the way for her Senate confirmation as secretary of state. - Bloomberg
The state of California could be broke in two months, unless a budget deal is met. - AP

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Dems Pick Up Five Repub Senate Seats, Races Still Unclear

CitizenSugar — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 15:30:00 -0800

Democrats picked up the majority plus at least five seats in the Senate Tuesday by seizing seats from Republican incumbents in New Hampshire and North Carolina, while also gaining seats left by retiring Republicans in Virginia, Colorado and New Mexico.

The New York Times has a comprehensive Senate map with the state results as they come in, but at 4:30 EST on Wednesday Democrats had 56 seats and Republicans had 41. Fifty-one is considered a majority, but it could be a few weeks before Democrats learn the final stats.

Democrats are still short of the 60-vote majority that would enable them to push bills to a vote by overcoming filibusters.