Democrats Reject 9/11 Panel(WaPo)Promises,Promises

[White_Male_Canada]

Democrats Reject Key 9/11 Panel Suggestion
Neither Party Has an Appetite for Overhauling Congressional Oversight of Intelligence

It was a solemn pledge, repeated by Democratic leaders and candidates over and over: If elected to the majority in Congress, Democrats would implement all of the recommendations of the bipartisan commission that examined the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

But with control of Congress now secured, Democratic leaders have decided for now against implementing the one measure that would affect them most directly: a wholesale reorganization of Congress to improve oversight and funding of the nation's intelligence agencies. Instead, Democratic leaders may create a panel to look at the issue and produce recommendations, according to congressional aides and lawmakers...

"The Democrats pledged to implement all the remaining 9/11 reforms, not some of them," said former representative Timothy J. Roemer (D-Ind.), who served on the commission.

Carie Lemack, whose mother was in one of the jets that hit the World Trade Center, echoed that sentiment: "It wasn't a Chinese takeout menu, the 41 recommendations. You have to do all of them."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...901317_pf.html




Democrats ran on a platform of full acceptance of the recommendations, and held that out as a key part of their electoral efforts. John Kerry did the same thing in 2004, to less effect. Now that they have won, they have raised the expectations of their supporters and the backers of the 9/11 Commission. Even before their majority has taken the oath of office, they will dash those expectations and set themselves up for a round of recriminations.

They want to clear out the Republicans from the levers of power, but offered John Murtha for Majority Leader, along with his pork-barrel extortive politics and the legacy of Abscam. They promised a tough and competent effort on national security, but offered a disgraced and impeached former judge to run the Intelligence Committee. Democrats pledged to take immediate action on all of the Commission's recommendations, but they will balk at any meaningful reform that limits the power of their master appropriators, including Murtha himself.

You mean they voted for it before they voted against it?

I can't wait! The liberal base will be... uh whats the word that lib politicians like to use?... uhhhhh... OH yeah!

They'll be DISENFRANCHISED!!!

LMAO!

To be continued....

opcorn

[chefmike]

Not to worry, repugs...

You've had your chance and were soundly rejected by the voters of the USA!

Suck it up, losers!

We don't answer to the defeated lunatic fringe...but your boy shrubya does!

You mouth-breathing fools are living proof! :P

*******

The bipartisan Sept. 11 panel released its report in 2004. It subsequently issued admonishments to the Bush administration and the GOP-controlled Congress for failing to enact many of its major recommendations.

In a December 2005 "final report card," the commission gave the government mediocre to failing grades in numerous areas, including screening airline passengers and improving first responders' communication systems. Many commissioners have also pointed to mixed results in the effort to merge terrorism watch lists maintained by the FBI and other agencies.

Democrats have not spelled out how they intend to pay for their initiatives. In 2006, they unsuccessfully proposed $3 billion for rail security and $5 billion for first-responder communications equipment.


No one has figured out how to scan all cargo reliably in real-world settings.

Some recommendations highlighted by Democrats are already in the works but face technical hurdles. These include efforts to put in place a border entry and exit screening system and to streamline the terrorism watch lists. A battle also looms over whether to pay for or delay Real ID, a multibillion-dollar effort to standardize state driver's licenses.

Other proposals by House Democrats, including hiring 2,000 new Border Patrol agents a year for five years and building a "virtual fence" using sensors and other technology, are already being adopted by the Bush administration.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...1001518_2.html

[guyone]

The Democrats are the root cause for all this terrorism anyway. They were asleep at the wheel for eight years. They let all these IslamoFacists run around expressing their freedom of religion by killing anybody they wanted without the fear of reciprocity.

The Democrats are the root cause for all this terrorism anyway. They were asleep at the wheel for eight years. They let all these IslamoFacists run around expressing their freedom of religion by killing anybody they wanted without the fear of reciprocity.

You're doing it wrong!

Them were the days! Terrorism was such a...

Damn! What's that word?

You know? When those guys bombed the USS Cole, the World Trade Center in 93, US Embassies in 1998 and we did nothing but bomb some empty buildings and pass resolution after meaningless resolution?

Damn! I can't think of the word! But I tell ya. Them were the days!