ABOUT FIRST READ

First Read is an analysis of the day's political news, from the NBC News political unit. First Read is updated throughout the day, so check back often.

Chuck Todd, NBC Political Director

Mark Murray, NBC Deputy Political Director

Domenico Montanaro, NBC News Political Reporter



The Hill's short-lived love

Posted: Thursday, February 14, 2008 12:46 PM by Domenico Montanaro
Filed Under:

From NBC's Mike Viqueira
The brief interlude of cross-aisle love and tenderness is coming to an ugly end in Congress.

Republicans are outraged. Democrats are putting forward a resolution holding White House Chief of Staff Josh Bolten and former White House Counsel Harriet Miers in contempt of Congress. House GOP rank-and-file are planning a dramatic walk out when the vote is called.

Democrats are affronted. Right in the middle of the Statuary Hall service for the late Tom Lantos, a Republican went to the floor -- just steps from the solemn proceedings -- and called a procedural vote, apparently out of pique.

The full House will vote on the contempt resolution. It is likely to pass. The resolution directs the speaker to refer the case to the Department of Justice. DoJ would then have to decide for itself whether to pursue the case.

The vote is expected at around 1 p.m.

The controversy involves the firing of federal prosecutors and the refusal by White House officials to comply with congressional requests for documents and testimony.

The president is pressing also. He has a news conference called for 1 p.m. The FISA law is about to expire. Another temporary extension just failed to pass the House yesterday. Republicans are whispering about the possibility of another dramatic gesture, this time from the president himself.

Congress is due to be on recess next week. Might the president call them back? Isn't the president due to fly to Africa very soon? Just askin.'

MAIN PAGE

Email this EMAIL THIS

Comments

Dear Texas Republicans;

Please help us end the Corrupt Clinton Cancer on March 4th. It will be a great day for America and National Unity.
About time! GWB, until named DICTATOR FOR LIFE cannot subvert the Constitution! Congress has the authority to call witnesses under oath, EVEN IF THEY'VE BEEN BUSY COMMITING CRIMES FOR BUSH!
Gee, the rest of the country already holds the entire administration and the Congress in contempt.
let the repubs walk out, and hope they don't come back
It's about time...should have been done the day they refused to show up. This congress was elected to get things done...right away...not wait a few months.
Why would anyone care a “hill” of beans if republicans are “outraged” over attempts to hold Bolten and Miers to account?  Republicans tried to hold Bill Clinton to account for a lot less.  

It’s about time.  In fact, it’s time to go after some of the bigger fish.  Whatever happened to Alberto Gonzales, anyway?  And where did all those e-mails go?  How about those 935 lies leading up to the war?

If Congress isn’t going to make any attempt during the lame duck year to press for any significant legislation, it’s about the least they can do to make up for it.
And these clowns work for us? What a broken system.
The GOP are a bunch of crybabies and have no respect what so ever to interupt a service for the death of a fellow congressman. Go ahead and walk out and keep walking. Furthermore take the useless President and Vice-president since they are criminals of the nation. The US has no use for a spoiled brat who thinks he is King and the pandering reich wing the is the GOP.
Upon arriving in the halls of power, good people often succumb to the lure of corruption.  Having walked the hallowed halls and strode across the floor of the house I can see how easily one may be duped.  All elected officials need to stick to their core principles and beliefs and not let the lure of power be their undoing.  You are the employees of the people.  As such we the people will do the hiring and firing through the elective process.  Members of the House & Senate be on your guard, the voters will speak!!
GWB & the Gay Ole Pedophiles are still acting like Peckergnats.Both are slowly becoming irrelevant as America is moving Forward.The GOP's ability to block legislation will be removed when Barack Obama is sworn in as the 44th President.
Januarary 9th-2009 will be a glorious day in America. We will begin the long overdue healing process of an ineffective government working against the very people it's supposed to serve.
No more Politics of Fear!No more Fruadulent Value vote's, just to make elected officials look bad!
All across America, voter's are speaking with their vote's & elected officials had better be listening. There is gonna be a Tidal wave of new voter's coming in November & no one should assume there seat's are Protected.

" The Times They Are A Changing"

Barack Obama for President!!!!!!!!!!
Whats the name of the Republican?
"House GOP rank-and-file are planning a dramatic walk out when the vote is called."


Co-conspirators to the gutting of the U.S. Constitution. Every one of you rat bastards should be hanging from a lamp pole.
It's about time the Democrats in Congress stopped aiding and abetting Bush's criminal activities and held his flunkies to account.

The vote against banning torture in the Senate was a disgrace. McCain, who once acknowledged that waterboarding is torture, has to appeal to the pro-torture Republican base, so he voted against the torture ban. Torture is a heinous crime of which McCain has now approved, so that makes McCain a self-admitted criminal. At least people didn't know Bush was a criminal until after he was selected for president. We know about McCain in advance.
Sign up all those repukes for contempt, they are all hugely contestable, to the core!
When they walk out lock the doors and never let them in again. They are disgusting hypocrites, liars and criminals, vote the scum out.  Kick their butts to the curb.
I dream of the day when Senator Obama is President Obama.  I can see it now, January 20, 2009, when we the People of this great nation, have a President who faithfully executes the Constitution as required by his oath, who allows the Congress to perform their right of oversight over the executive branch and who does not seek to expand the executive power beyond the bounds set forth by our Constitution by alleging that the recently created "unitary theory of the executive" makes the President rather like a King or Queen and renders our Congress little more than a minor advisory irritant.  

Our Founding Fathers fought and died to rid this Country of monarchy.  President Obama will restore the Republic that our Founding Fathers envisioned and give back to the People the power to Legislate without executive signing statements like those used by President Bush where he simply draws a red-line through the Law he has just signed without explanation, or Constitutional authority claiming thereby that no-one has the right to infringe upon his royal power with something as irritating as a law.

I dream of the day when our Republic is restored, when we can once more hold our heads up high and say "We are Americans, this is our Country and We the People Rule."  I dream of the day -- I wish it could come sooner.

President Obama, the sound is good to my ears.  

Yes we can, Obama '08.
Point of order, Mr. Viqueira:

Bolton and Meirs did not turn down REQUESTS for documents and testimony.  They refused to show up after being SUBPOENAED. Big difference between a request and a subpoena.  One can be ignored without consequence.  The other... not so much.

And anyone who disagrees should feel free to ignore a subpoena if they ever get one and see what happens.
Dear Democrats and independent voters of all origin especially latino voters in Texas please do not led us back to the corrupted Clinton Administration again.  How many of us got our immigration case solved much faster after Bill clintons administration ended up. Think about ur and ur childrens future.  do not let BilHillary to the white house again.
Sign up all those repukes for contempt, they are all hugely contemtable, to the core!
When they walk out lock the doors and never let them in again. They are disgusting hypocrites, liars and criminals, vote the scum out.  Kick their butts to the curb.
Actually, the FISA law will NOT expire.  It's a law with no sunset provision.  What WILL expire is the Protect America Act (PAA), which empowers the President to listen to American's communications without a warrant.  If the PAA expires, the law will default to the original FISA requirement, which allow the government to apply for a warrant up to 72 hours AFTER surveillance has begun.  The administration will still have the power to listen in on telephone calls and monitor email, they'll just have to get a warrant from the FISA Court before they do so.

Again, FISA IS NOT SET TO EXPIRE!!!  MSNBC, check your facts, please.
Don't have a Walk Out in anger. Have a "Laugh In" instead. round up video when Bill fired them all, and I'm pretty sure both Obama, and Hildabeast have said in speeches some where they'll "clean house" of all of them again. Play that, and point and laugh and laugh and laugh
Thank You Congress for questioning the self-proclaimed King ...
Another instance of Republicans mindlessly following the party line with total disregard for the Constitution and the good of the country. (Remember checks and balances?) They are acting like kids in a sandbox.  It is congress's job to investigate things like this.  I don't see how they can think it's okay for half the congress to prevent the other half from doing what the Constitution requires and what we pay them to do.  This is what needs to change.  (For all of you out there wondering what this "change" is that we are looking for.) I'd like to see some politicians who are committed to the country and our democratic principles rather than to the childish power struggles of the parties.  
Nothing is more entertaining, if you're into Pompous Indignatition, than a Democrat Resolution-outraged Republican. Except maybe, a Republican caught in a Sex Crime.
  I,am 77yrs old. never thougt I would see the day when the demo and the rep, would agree, but they do now. It is so appalling to see they blame the war on Hillary Clinton, and the poor state  we are in on her too. Now I thougt dear george bush was the one in charge. And of corse we can not have a woman pres, after all, she would get us in a war, with just her one vote. What was the rest of the gongress doing.the economy is not going to get better, untill we get someone in there to say no. Hillary has the word she can say No. let try her as president she cannot be any worse, and I think she would show the men some thing, but of crouse she will not be elected, because it would hurt some mans pride, or a lot of mens pride. love to all M
Dear Guys, are you scared? Don't be, she is only one women with brains, and I do not think she wants or needs to be god.
Oh, I forgot, Adam from NYC is right.  this is all Clintons fault.
GOP's walking out only serves to emphasize their contempt for our constitution. Finally the Democrats are showing some spine. These contempt charges are long overdue. I would go further and state that the phrase "impeachment is off the table" should never have been uttered.  I hold out hope that an Obama or Clinton presidency will serve to preserve that all-important doucment, the Constitution.
After the vote, maybe they can send that "Dog" fellow from the TV to round them up...
We will see in November if their constituents are watching this Childish display of Ethic's.They remind me of some post on here from Hillary supporter's, If they don't get there way ( ala GWB)they just take there ball & go home. Keep on walking, Real Democrat's & Real American's have business to attend to.Stay Home, we don't need you anyways!

Barack Obama for President!
Anybody who would show disrespect for the late Rep. Lantos by calling for a procedural vote in the middle of the Statuary Hall memorial service, GOP or Democratic, ought to be censured, and the voters in his or her district ought to condemn his or her illmannered display in the strongest terms possibly--by voting the sleazeball out of office.
Where is the Impeachment Vote? We now have enough High Crimes and "Misdemeanors" to prosecute this entire administration from top to bottom(Scooter doen't count)... so, after we throw them out can we send them to ALL to jail and THEN repeal FISA?
Steve: Or a Democrat caught engaging in more racist,anti-Semitic antics. Take it away, Tennessee.

Associated Press Feb.14,2008:''Congressman Subject Of anti-Semitic Flyer''

Democrat congressman Steve Cohen,an American -Jewish lawmaker who was a portion of the alleged ''swamp-drain''in the 2006 elections ,is running against African American Democrat Nikki Tinker in Tennessees 9th District. Here is how opposing Democrat factions deal with upstarts such as Cohen:

''STEVE COHEN AND THE JEWS HATE JESUS''.[Flyer distributed throughout the 9th to predominantly black districts].

So the next time we hear,right around MLK Day,the ''righteous indignation''of the pandering politician[usually a Democrat],think of the above persons,along with people[also Democrats] like Ed Rendell,Jean Shaheen,Jim Moran,what is left of Hillarys campaign,and others since tossed into histories dustbin like Cynthia McKinney and Al Sharpton who are advancing such dubious improvements in racial relations in America today.

Your next trial involving one ''caught''in a crime in the docket involves a Democrat.[Bill Jefferson, La.] Not a Republican.[Craig,who was censured,a la Gerry Studds[D-Mass],not tried]. Hows that Swamp Draining Service working now?[Jack Murtha and Hillarys latest porkapalooza[but not McCain,who advances not a dime in pork monies] antics may be viewed here]:

www.porkbusters.com

As a postscript,we find that the Constitution does not address the ''unitary executive''portions of that branch that would either rule for,or against Congress or the President. As there is precedent[May 20,1984],in advancing the ''unitary executive''which has never been addressed by the USSC or Congress[former president Clinton used such ''unitary''privilage to deny public review of government documents relating to the 1994 Waco siege,which remain classified],it is for the high court,and not Congress,to decide.[and in any such possible appearence by either Gonzales,Miers or other,and their pleading of ignorance,we will note here that Commerce Dept. employee John Huang invoked the 5th Amendment before committee a record 71 times when asked about his role in the DNC-Chinese funnymoney-gate mess back in 1997]. Thus rather than yelling about the ''unconstitutionality''of it all,[which it has not been determined to be and the grandstanding Dems know this],we turn to the courts to uphold,or refute,already found law.
Did someone say McCain has not advanced a dime in Pork for AZ? Please take a look at the $678 Million in Cotton subsidies in that State since this "porkbuster" has been in the Senate... maybe now McCain will get caught in the drain.
Be it of shame ""we the people have lost our voice""! A hand full of self serving paper hangers destroy so much in so little time? To point the finger, NO,, Only common  sense has been side stepped. The lack of leadership in Washington has eroded all agencies. The constant grid lock and self serving agenda's eludes resolve to our major priorities of dysfunctional government. Washington has built monsters, poverty, homeless, Millions of Illegals, taxation with out representation, and the list is huge! Yet, War and discourse rule, the value of life of our Armed forces being represented as a number, Veterans have to face the war on the battle field and the war in their minds.

Yet , congress ""a Hand full"" With the stroke of the Pen continue to feed the monsters, Place a new mask on failure.

The people running that want to be the next President are cowards, they fear those who are in power domains,  as long as the self serving power domains live "so will the monsters they have created. America must bring leadership to the White House! Slam the door on export of the American dollar by the Illegals, bring back industry, Stop importing crude use one time throw away products, Restructure, restructure, restructure. Americans love to work and have the pride,, yet congress has diminished that ability. We are a divided nation and that handful of power domains created discourse.

The People rule! Washington serves!

Open ended promises and hollow bloated experience is not leadership. Re masking issues is not resolve.


SEND A COMMENT

PLEASE READ: All comments must be approved before appearing in the thread; time and space constraints prevent all comments from appearing. We will only approve comments that are directly related to the blog, use appropriate language and are not attacking the comments of others.

Message (please, no HTML tags. Web addresses will be hyperlinked):

TRACKBACKS

Trackbacks are links to weblogs that reference this post. Like comments, trackbacks do not appear until approved by us. The trackback URL for this post is: http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/trackback.aspx?PostID=664927

First Read e-mail alerts


Sign up for First Read alerts
The first place for key political news and analysis

Syndicate This Site

Add First Read to your news reader:
live.com xml
myyahoo msn
bloglines newsgator
google