Russ Feingold is such a hypocrite
By Gary Krasner (08/05/07)
There was an all-night floor debate Friday night on amending Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, which was apparently broken by a secret court decision in the spring.
Given that Congress remained in session solely to address this issue, Director of National Intelligence Adm. Mike McConnell remained outside in the halls of the Senate that Friday night to answer technical questions about the complicated issues of intercepting telecommunications.
He did this as a courtesy. Yet Sen Harry Reid stood up and said that he thought it was wrong that McConnell should come into ther senate building and dictate what the senate should do. Leave it to Reid to do a partisan broad jump like that.
Sen. Kit Bond responded that McConnell was sitting in the senate hall on a Friday night through the invitation of several senators, in an advisory capacity. After all, the senate was in session solely because McConnell said that FISA was unworkable in the current technology environment.
Then Russ Feingold stood up and said he was offended by having a individual---not elected to the senate---recommending what the Senate should do. He said the Senate was made up of very smart people who don't need to be told how to pass a law.
REALLY? Sen. Carl Levin spoke next---apparently not cognizant of what Feingold just said---and in the course of his statement, started to tout the 911 commission report, and their legislative recommendations that Democrats like Feingold laud.
So, Feingold thinks that the Senate should take the advice of non-elected, former government officials (i.e. the political hacks who comprised the 911 Commission), but not the advice of a non-elected, but CURRENT Director of National Intelligence?
Russ Feingold is such a hypocrite.
Gary Krasner
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