Even worse, buried at the end of that story is this:
An “official with access to the transcripts said someone seeking help for the employees of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, a prominent pro-Israel lobbying group, was recorded asking Ms. Harman, a longtime supporter of its efforts, to intervene with the Justice Department,” the paper wrote. “She responded, the official recounted, by saying she would have more influence with a White House official she did not identify.
“In return, the caller promised her that a wealthy California donor — the media mogul Haim Saban — would threaten to withhold campaign contributions to Representative Nancy Pelosi, the California Democrat who was expected to become House speaker after the 2006 election, if she did not select Ms. Harman for the intelligence post,” the paper added.
Intervening in an espionage investigation, while being promised a quid-pro-quo by a foreign lobby – isn’t that treason?
AFAIK there’s no evidence (yet) that she actually did try to intervene in the investigation, either with the White House or DoJ, is there?
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p>Still, it’s a pretty bad story.
Sources: Wiretap Recorded Rep. Harman Promising to Intervene for AIPAC
Whether she actually did intervene or not, is promising to do so in return for personal gain not a problem?
Obviously, saying she would intervene and then not doing so is not as bad as saying she would and then actually doing it. But the former is, to be sure, “a problem.”
I repeat myself, but:
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p>I listened to the NPR thing. Robert Siegel gave Harman two opportunities to say she did not remember the conversation or that it didn’t happen. In neither case did she deny the conversation.
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p>Now, I don’t remember every conversation I have, but if someone discussed illegal activity with me, or, at minimum, unethical activity, that I would remember.
I don’t care if she’s a traitor to the Democratic Party – party traitors can be voted out of office. I’m more concerned that she was a traitor to her country, and I’d have no problem if she was brought up on treason charges…
as a nod to the Democratic blueness of this site.
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p>I also care more about the treating-with-foreign-agents aspect of it all. If the charges are substantiated, she should face impeachment and trial.
because Harmon is a conservative democrat? Nah, these posters are too objective for that. The vast majority of voters in her district also agreed with her position on warrantless wiretaps.
This “vituperative hatred,” if you can seriously call it that (have you been to RMG lately?), is about a Member of Congress apparently promising to use her influence in an espionage case in exchange for financial and/or political gain. But hey, maybe that’s OK with you, as long as she’s “conservative.”
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p>I have no idea what Harmon’s views are on anything — she’s a CA congresswoman, for God’s sake, so who cares?
about her views. She is too well known and hated by liberals for that to be true.
I never go to RMG. I don’t like that brand of knee-jerk politics.
If you truly don’t like knee-jerk politics, you should drop the knee-jerk answers (like the nonsense above) from your repetoire…
Is life such a struggle that you cannot tolerate, occasionally, a diverse opinion or two? If you cannot admit that Harmon is a target of the left, and has been for some time now, then you have cognitive disfunctions. And isn’t it ironic that some of you have adopted McCarthy-like tactics by dropping the word treason into your rants lately. Frankly, I expected much better from David.
Well, if Rep. Harman turns out to have been making deals with a foreign agent, one might expect the word “treason” to at least pop up once or twice.
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p>To a degree, we on the left are still smarting from the period 2002-2004 when Republicans were ascendant and Democrats marginalized, and when accusations of treason against us were common. Even today, Republicans, unused to being in the minority, bandy around words like fascism, tyranny, and socialism recklessly. You might expect high, high standards of us. That’s not unfair, but do you think you might give us a bit of a break, too?
I agree about the nastiness of republicans–and you didn’t mention the nastiest ploy (attempted impeachment of Clinton) of all which was not only misplaced but stupid as well. Let me say that I consider the republicans to be generally stupid, transparently so. Thank God that Obama wants to look forward and is not a vengeful sort of person. However, I understand that he has to mollify the left a bit on this issue since this is a “gut” issue for them (you).
Toleration of ‘diverse opinions’ doesn’t mean people get to make a statements and expect people to abide by some kind of ‘toleration rule’ to let them stand uncontested.
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p>Criticism isn’t intolerance of opinion, but feel free to feel victimized if you must.
Are you still going to pretend that the left (you) don’t have it in for Harmon? Can’t admit that your use of the word “treason” smacks of Joe McCarthyism? How can you and your clique be cemented, rightly or wrongly, to the same opinions all the time? I suffer no victimization, only bewilderment at how difficult it is to talk with idealogues.
I never heard of this Harmon person before I read the story I quoted, so no – I don’t have to “pretend” I “don’t have it in for her,” because I don’t.
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p>Why should I admit that your bizarre definition of treason makes me like Joe McCarthy? That’s ridiculous.
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p>I do not have a clique, either cemented or otherwise, nor am I an ideologue.
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p>Are you still pretending to be a Democrat?
Please re-read everything I’ve written in this post. You’ll note none of everything you’re talking about.
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p>Get a clue.
Most of your contributions here are bizarre, rambling responses to things no one said. At best, you’re not reading carefully. At worst, you’re just making shit up. Either way, the difficulties in communicating seem to mostly be your own.
you are a collection of clones, feeding off of each others childish beliefs.
of engaging anyone if you’re that cynical about the motives of everyone here?
You haven’t noticed that sometimes people get carried away with their thoughts?
to your “vituperative hatred” comment.
your casual use of the word treason smacks of McCarthyism.
Also, as JohnD would say, I was asking the question.
Well, I did secretly feel she got hers. That bad thought cross my mind.
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p>And yes, the left blogosphere has been out after Harmon: Daily Kos and others did push for people to contribute to her primary opponent and did urge Pelosi not to give her the Intelligence Committee gavel.
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p>That said, I don’t believe my bad thoughts ever crossed over from disappointment or political disagreement into vituperative hatred.
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p>I hope the penance you assign me, Edgarthearmenian, isn’t too severe.
Sometimes I get carried away, too. You know, the only penance we serve in life is what we do to ourselves through our own foolishness.
Shame on her for supporting this program, regardless of her own ensnarlment in it. I’m not sure of specifics, but this does not sound like treason. What she did may be illegal in other ways, but “treason” is very narrowly defined as “adhering to the enemies of the United States, giving them aide and comfort”. This is not what seems to have happened and you would need more than a wiretap to get a conviction anyway.