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Political analysis and other daily rants on the state of the nation




































Sunday | September 14, 2003

When you bargain for that pound of flesh, start here

by RonK, Seattle

Before the United States Senate takes up the $87B Iraq supplemental budget request, it should take up Votes of Confidence.

A troupe of snake-oil peddlers has betrayed US national security. Are they delusional? Are they simply deluded? Are they propagating nonsense in service of some covert agenda? I don't care. Real security begins with seeing the world as it is, and this crowd won't do that.

We aren't equipped to clean out the whole stable -- yet -- but it's time to get out the pitchforks and the shovels. Begin with this Dubious Dozen:

Donald Rumsfeld, Secretary of Defense
Paul Wolfowitz, Deputy Secretary of Defense
Douglas Feith, Under Secretary of Defense for Policy

Colin Powell, Secretary of State
John Bolton, Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security
Paula Dobriansky, Under Secretary of State for Global Affairs

Condoleezza Rice, National Security Advisor
George Tenet, Director of Central Intelligence
I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby, Chief of Staff to the Vice President

Richard Perle, Defense Policy Board member
Ken Adelman, Defense Policy Board member
R. James Woolsey, Defense Policy Board member

Draft a separate non-binding "Sense of the Senate" resolution for each official.

Phrase it in the affirmative, as votes of "Confidence" rather than "No Confidence", so that parliamentary delays, diversions and abstentions carry implicit negative valence.

This gives each and every Senator an opportunity to go on record as "confident", "not so confident", or "sorry, don't wanna talk about it".

Sen. Kerry, nuance this!
Sen. Graham, show us that Intelligence of yours!
Sen. Edwards, the verdict is in your hands!
Sen. Lieberman, choose a side or step aside!
MoveOn, get a move on!
Dean Machine, get it in gear!
Gentle readers, start your search engines and contact your Senators!

[An earlier post (Put a Price Tag on that Price Tag!) has been updated to reflect reader-nominated bargaining chips for that $87B supplemental.]

Posted September 14, 2003 11:51 AM | Comments (45)





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