A couple of days ago, John McCain whined on the floor of the Senate that he had never seen a Senator denied extra time to finish a statement. He and the far right attacked Senator Al Franken for holding Senators (including right wing darling Joe Lieberman)to a 10 minute speaking limit.
Well Chris Matthews ran video of John McCain objecting to granting a Senator extra time during a debate on limiting George Bush’s powers during the Iraq War in 2002.
http://tpmlivewire.talkingpoin…
The Republicans really do think they should have a different set of rules for them.
Please share widely!
Both are equally deluded about their importance in the scheme of things and about their constructive contributions to American governance.
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p>For McCain the word honor is nothing more than a rhetorical weapon.
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p>Lieberman would be happy to send your son and daughter or mine to a pre-emptive war of choice in Iran to protect Israel as if their national security interests and ours are exactly one in the same, which they are not, never mind the mindless strategic bludering of attacking first and sorting it all out later.
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p>Maybe we should let McCain off the hook on the assumption he doesn’t recall doing it himself, as a result of early onset Alzheimers.
While it’s a lovely moment, are we certain that it was Senator McCain who objected? I ask because it was clearly Senator Byrd who was requesting time (not Senator Dayton, as stated by Chris Matthews).
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p>Further, I’m not sure the two episodes are all that comparable. Senator Lieberman (I-Aetna) was interrupted in mid-sentence, while the clip shows a mis-identified Senator Byrd chuckling after a faceless voice objects to his request for more time.
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p>I think this is much ado about nothing. Let’s move on.
What a cheap shot – typical of some elements on BMG, notably the group who calls those they disagree with ‘white trailer trash’
… the door is over there -> ;-P
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p>Or do you come here to make hay out of the cheap shots and sound all superior and (let it be noted) take shot of your own re:’white trailer trash’?
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p>There’s a difference. I’m calling a politician demented, jokingly, and you’re calling out people who post here.
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p>John McCain does not have early onset Alzheimer’s and saying he does was a way of giving him an out instead of calling him the hypocrite he clearly is.
to a 3? OMG
I forgot to mention that he HATES being called out.
Talk about cheap shots!
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p>Unless you’re desperately spinning, that’s clearly McCain, not Byrd, objecting.
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p>Have you NO shame?
I think I questioned the identification by Chris Matthews (especially since Senator Byrd’s identity was displayed in the clip). I think I questioned whether it was actually Senator McCain who objected (although I yield to stomv’s more accurate ear). I think I said that the two episodes were not, to me, very similar. Then I said I think the whole thing is not worth our attention.
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p>What is there in my comment that you object to?
It happened twice, on the same day, within five minutes or so of each other. Congressional Record, 107th Congress, 10/10/2002, page S10245. The first objection is to Dayton, at the bottom of the left column. The second objection is to Byrd, in the middle of the middle column.
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p>What happened was, Byrd had the floor. He yielded X minutes to Dayton to speak. Dayton spoke, ran out of time ( and was interrupted mid-sentence ), and asked lenience for 30 more seconds, and McCain objected. So Byrd yielded 2 more minutes to Dayton, who finished (and yielded back the balance of the time).
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p>The second objection, to Byrd, is less analagous to Franken’s objection. Byrd wanted to, basically, conduct a small sidebar on an amendment and asked that it not count against the hour he had. McCain objected, and that’s where we get Byrd chuckling. Byrd made a pointed comment about the situation, and McCain relented.
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p>The chief difference between that instance and this instance (middle of the left column), is that here Franken was both the presiding officer and the objector.
Nobody broke any rules.
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p>Somebody don’t like the rules? Work to change them.
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p>This is a diversion.