A case study in water-carrying

May 24, 2007

Following up on the earlier item about Monica Goodling’s testimony, I wanted to add a point that’s probably obvious, but worth mentioning anyway: House Judiciary Committee Republicans really embarrassed themselves yesterday.

Slate’s Dahlia Lithwick explained, “One Republican congressman after another tenderly thanks her for enduring today’s hearing — as if she’s one of Jerry’s Kids and not a former DoJ official who, by midmorning, has admitted to breaking the law. Her ability to speak in declarative sentences is enough to blow their minds.”

TNR’s Eve Fairbanks added, “[Goodling] even assumed the look of an embarrassed church girl when the House Republicans took their duty to protect and defend her to comic levels. During his questioning, Republican Darrell Issa — who competed with Dan Lungren and James Sensenbrenner for the prince-on-a-white-steed-here-to-rescue-Monica role — bellowed, ‘[Y]ou chose to be non-partisan very often.’ Goodling flushed and smiled a sad little smile.”

“Chose to be non-partisan”? This was after Goodling had explained that she repeatedly “crossed the line” in applying partisan standards to Justice Department employment practices.

Some Republicans literally gave up on the substance, choosing instead to “create diversions.” As Dana Milbank explained, “Rep. Chris Cannon (Utah) opted to read into the record a lengthy editorial comparing Rep. Jack Murtha (D-Pa.) to Tony Soprano. Rep. Dan Lundgren (Calif.) delivered a 250-word speech praising his own glorious service as his state’s attorney general.”

But leave it to Steve King to top them all.

“There not only is no evidence of wrongdoing but there is no allegation of any wrongdoing on your part, ” Rep. Steven King, R-Iowa, told her.

Christopher Orr set the record straight: “Actually: evidence, allegation, admission. But thanks for being on the show, Congressman. We hope you’ll play again.”

Honestly, some of these GOP lawmakers could be replaced with a crude Right-Wing Congressbot 9000 — programmed to repeat obvious nonsense without reason or context — and no one would notice the difference.

Someone is surprised that the word “Republican” is a syonym for “moron”???

  • It never ceases to amaze me how various Republicans can just get on TV and lie their asses off, and generally get away with it. And Al Gore wonders why we’ve got millions of people who think Saddam was involved with 9/11.

    Someone please wake up the American people.

    This really needs to end.

  • The Repubs prove over and over that any morals they profess are compromised in support of each other. They literally are scum. In power only to rob the public under the guise of legislating.

  • But, but, but… she’s young, she’s blonde* and pretty, and claims to be Christian. So I’m sure she’d never, ever lie. How could those mean old Democratic congressmen be so mean to her!!!

    Republicans, the anti-accountabilitists (is that even a word?)

    Hannah, disgusted

    *fake

  • Memo to Republican house & senate members from “Dear Leader W”
    (your eyes only)
    If you are caught re-handed, deny, deny, deny.
    Your constituants will be drilled by the Oracles Fox and Limbaugh that up is down, and war is peace.

  • It’s just another case of repubs putting party ahead of country. Say you’ve got a dysfunctional, incompetent, probably criminal and demonstrably dishonest DOJ. Do you fix it for the benefit of all Americans, or do you circle the wagons and defend the party? The shame is in how obvious the answer to that question has become.

  • Last night on PBS, California Republican Dan Lungren did his own version of the “Lie your ass off and see if anyone notices” schtick.

    “…this is not a question of proper management. What we’re trying to find out in our committee, I suppose — the reason why we’re spending $250,000 is to show that there’s some illegal activity. We haven’t seen one iota of evidence…

    …

    …Where she said she crossed the line is where she may have looked at what someone’s registration was. She said she was wrong on that, inappropriate, and she had no intention to do anything illegal under those circumstances. Does that look like there is a broad effort to do anything illegal? Absolutely not…”

    Note the massive bar-lowering he engages in. Apparently there’s nothing criminal happening unless you catch them making a “broad effort” to rape the constitution. I guess Clinton should have argued that he didn’t engage in a “broad effort” to get blowjobs from interns.

    This wordplay is serious. It’s a lot like the way they constantly threw in the word “stockpiles” to obfuscate their total failure to find ANY of the purported WMDs.

    Luckily, Artur Davis, a very sharp Democrat from Alabama was there to smack that douchebag around, even if Margaret Warner played stupid as usual. Immediately following Lungren’s douchebaggery quoted above, she repeats his bullshit talking point, asking “All right, Congressman Davis, do you see a broad effort?”

    Davis handles it nicely. IMO he needs way more TV time.

    Lungren finishes the session off by lying his ass off yet again:

    “…there is too much of a tendency in this environment to try and criminalize political disputes. That’s been the effort here. They have found no basis for criminality…

    …We ought to have proper oversight, but to go beyond and try and make claims of criminal activity I think is beyond the pale, is a waste of our money, a waste of our time, and actually distracts us from the people’s business…”

    Yeah, like when we went after Bill Clinton. Shameless liars.

    http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/law/jan-june07/goodling_05-23.html

  • Yes, the utterings from the Republicans on the House committee questioning Monica were not only unfortunate, but they were also unÅmerican! These fellows of the Republican ilk seemingly only believe in one party rule. As a Republican, I can attest to the lost measures the current Republican party leadership has taken at the expense of our cultural and societal heritage. I am a Republican, but I am an American first. Issa et al. are an embarrassment to freely elected governments all over the world because it is obvious to all but them that they are undemocratic! Peel back the layers of that onion, and we will find crime after crime, apology after apology, and a whole bunch of ugly things bad for our nation.

    No, Monica as a grown person and a professional is not a damsel in distress. She has admittedly “crossed the line” and as a citizen should be willing to be held accountable for her lack of judgement. Any other spin is simply AntiAmerican powermongering. Damn it’s hard to stay sane with all these authoriarians infiltrating our bodypolitik. -Kevo

  • This wordplay is serious. It’s a lot like the way they constantly threw in the word “stockpiles” to obfuscate their total failure to find ANY of the purported WMDs.

    The keywords for this scandal are “botched firings” – and that’s how Lundgren characterized the whole episode on the News Hour also. I didn’t see a transcript of yesterdays hearing, but I’d bet the phrase was used more than once by the GOP enablers.

  • The approach the committee took yesterday to close out the questioning – with each side having 15 minutes to question the witness – is one I would like to see in the future, as a standard practice; it’s time the need for the members to have camera time was sacrificed for the greater good of getting to the truth.

    Yes, this means we would have to listen to people like Ric Keller and Chris Cannon give speeches and lead witnesses down the garden path, but it would also mean that you could have an Adam Schiff or an Artur Davis get extended time with the witness, and the American people would get to see what happens and how the witness reacts when he or she is confronted by his or her attempts to evade the truth. Compare the long seconds of total silence from the witness in the Schiff/Davis questioning, as Goodling struggled with how to answer the pointed questions without “giving up” her boss, with the Chatty Cathy blathering that went on for much of the preceding questioning – and which she got away with, because by the time she finished fast-talking, it was time for a Republican member to start pitchng softballs.

    In the alternative, I would like to see the questioning conducted by the respective legal staff of the majority and minority – these are the people who know what to ask and how to frame the questions.

  • CB, you put the break between the mention of Steve King and what he actually said just to give me more time to cringe in anticipatory embarassment, didn’t you?

    Signed,

    Ashamed Iowan

  • If there is no basis for criminality, and if there was no basis for criminality in Goodling’s conduct, then why the hell did she demand immunity from prosection??!!!

    STUPID MOTHERF*CKING REPUBLITARDS.

  • “Honestly, some of these GOP lawmakers could be replaced with a crude Right-Wing Congressbot 9000 — programmed to repeat obvious nonsense without reason or context — and no one would notice the difference.”

    How do you think they find the time for all those lobbyist-financed five-star meals and golf trips?

  • CB you may have found the answer! We’ve failed to see that the “Stepford Wives” was a factual movie! Manufactured over the last decade are not only the “Right-Wing Congressbot 9000” but variations that include ditties such as the “Fat Bloviating Radio WASP,” “Blond Skeletal Harpy,” “Foxbot”, or “Values Voterbot” among many other models. Programmed with selected phrases such as “liberal media” and an auto-lie mode, they can receive wireless DSL which allows immediate unified responses to the evil of the moderates, the left, and other unbelievers. Push a button and they all respond the same way.
    Well, anyway, it makes about as much sense as the psychotic behavior of the right-wing. 🙂

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