Frustrated by their failure to get Karl Rove's scalp from the "Plamegate" special prosecutor last week, Senate Democrats started a round of parliamentarian guerrilla war today.
The U.S. Senate went into a rare closed session today after Democrats invoked a seldom used rule to back their demands for greater oversight by the Republican-controlled body, particularly on the Bush administration's use of intelligence in taking the country to war in Iraq.The unexpected shutdown immediately provoked a furious reaction from Senate Republicans, who denounced it as a stunt and an affront.
The closed session lasted a little more than two hours before Republicans mustered a vote to resume meeting in open session.
Republicans complained that going into closed session interrupted important business.
But Democrats said they were prepared to invoke Rule 21 daily to put pressure on the GOP leadership for the intelligence investigation and other oversight matters.
Durbin said it was the first time that Rule 21 had been invoked in more than 25 years. Although closed sessions have been held from time to time more recently -- the Senate shut its doors last year to discuss intelligence-gathering -- the previous closures were done by agreement of both parties.
Durbin added, "We're serving notice on [Senate Republicans] at this moment: Be prepared for this motion every day until you face the reality. The Senate Intelligence Committee has a responsibility to hold this administration accountable for the misuse of intelligence information. They have promised this investigation. We will continue to make this request until they do it."
Majority Leader Bill Frist seemed shocked that his rivals would stoop so low.
Frist angrily denounced the move, charging that "the United States Senate has been hijacked by the Democratic leadership." He told reporters that he has never as majority leader "been slapped in the face with such an affront to the leadership of this grand institution."Frist called the closed session "a pure stunt" by Reid, Durbin and the Democratic leadership. "This is an affront to me personally," he said. "It's an affront to our leadership. It's an affront to the United States of America. And it is wrong."
Frist sharply criticized Reid personally, saying he could never trust the Democratic leader again.
Which is more useless? The Democrats' inability to create any coherent political strategy beyond unending opposition, or Republicans' unwillingness to recognize the reality of an ongoing knife fight with a relentless and unscrupulous enemy?
According to Hotline On Call, here's what created the excuse for a rumble: a report last week from the National Journal.
Vice President Cheney and his chief of staff, I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby, overruling advice from some White House political staffers and lawyers, decided to withhold crucial documents from the Senate Intelligence Committee in 2004 when the panel was investigating the use of pre-war intelligence that erroneously concluded Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction, according to Bush administration and congressional sources.[A]dministration officials said in interviews that they cannot recall another instance in which Cheney and Libby played such direct personal roles in denying foreign policy papers to a congressional committee, and that in doing so they overruled White House staff and lawyers who advised that the materials should be turned over to the Senate panel.
Administration sources also said that Cheney's general counsel, David Addington, played a central role in the White House decision not to turn over the documents. Addington did not return phone calls seeking comment. Cheney's office declined to comment after requesting that any questions for this article be submitted in writing.
Reported before Fitzgerald's decision not to indict Karl Rove, this was a non-issue. But after the no-bill, it's a constitutional crisis. Sure.
Posted by Alan at November 1, 2005 09:13 PM