Powerful Democrat (Murtha) Agrees to Block Disclosure of Intell Budget

[Hissyspit]

Source: Raw Story

Powerful Democrat agrees to block disclosure of intelligence budget
John Byrne
Published: Tuesday August 7, 2007

Murtha accepts amendment to mask budget without debate

Chairman of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense John Murtha (D-PA) has moved to block a provision President Bush signed into law making the national intelligence budget public.

- snip -

Passed by Congress last month and signed into law last Friday, "Implementing Recommendations of the 9/11 Commission Act of 2007," called for the disclosure of the national intelligence budget. If adopted, it would make the first time the legislative branch has compelled the executive branch to reveal currently classified information, Aftergood say.

Only it now appears that a powerful member of the party challenging Bush Administration secrecy -- the Democrats -- will move to keep the figures under wraps. After California Republican Rep. Darrell Issa offered an amendment to the Defense Appropriations Act Aug 5 that would prohibit budget disclosure, Rep. John Murtha (D-PA) announced the amendment was accepted -- without any debate.

- snip -

"The opposing view," according to Aftergood, "adopted by the 9/11 Commission and endorsed by Congress last month, is that budget disclosure is an indispensable precondition to broader accountability and that it is essential to restoring the credibility of a defective classification system."

Read more: http://rawstory.com/news/2007/Powerful_Democrat_agrees_to_block_disclosure_0807.html

[Name removed]

1. Deleted message

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[Larry Ogg]

8. Thanks for posting that

And wellcome to DU

[Exiled in America]

2. That just fucking fantastic. God I wish I could stand eye to eye with some of these guys....

....and tell them to go fuck themselves.

[Robbien]

3. The more one sees Murtha in action as the majority party

the more there is to dislike.

Murtha also went to Peru and ignored all the people protesting in the streets and gave his assurances to Garcia that he will throw his support behind the Peru FTA.

The FTA which demands privatization and allows American Banks to sue Peru for potential future losses if Peru takes back its social security program.

[AndyA]

4. With "Democrats" like this, we don't really need Repulicons, do we?

I mean, really - WTF?!?!

Between Nancy "impeachment is off the table" Pelosi, Joe "your butt smells so good, George" Liebermann, Mary "I'm a Democrat, but I vote like a Republican" Landrieu, to Harry "I act mean but I'm really not" Reid, we really don't seem to have much of an opposing party.

Opposing parties are supposed to OPPOSE, which the current group doesn't seem to be able (or want) to do.

To say they're a disappointment is an understatement. They are borderline becoming complicit in the illegal activites, which puts them in the same circle as George Bush & Co.

[CTD]

16. "Becoming complicit"?!?! The already ARE complicit.

And have been for years.

[AndyA]

19. I was trying to be generous.

I know they don't deserve it. ;)

[TechBear_Seattle]

5. Has Murtha offered an explanation?

Or is this just arrogance and the empowerment of fascism?

[The Wielding Truth]

17. He has assumed human form from pod form.

How could any logical reason apply to any action being taken by these personality converted conscienceless pons!

[babylonsister]

6. Rec'd for any possible logical explanations out there. nt

[Miss Chybil]

7. Maybe because Bush wants it, Murtha is against it?

Who knows? I don't get it.

[High Plains]

9. The CIA et al have long argued that revealing the budget...

...would be a threat to national security. Apparently, Murtha is with them on that. Wouldn't want voters in a democracy to know where the money is being spent now, would we?

[Trillo]

10. If "intelligence" captured is worth any amount (of actual currency)

and that data is essentially stolen from creators, then the rationale to not disclose its value is obvious.

[mikelgb]

11. Murtha is covering up his earmarks

I saw the floor debate when Issa offered his amendment... and I saw Murtha accepting it without even letting Issa mention the title or substance of the amendment


but it was already after the FISA bill had passed so nothing much mattered anymore

[babylonsister]

14. That was my first thought, too; makes you wonder if everything is

aboveboard, why does he need to cover them up?
I don't want to accuse Murtha of anything, so will just wait and see how this shakes out.

[Kagemusha]

15. There's no need to accuse Murtha - he has a well earned reputation for this.

The ONLY reason that he got on the good side of the base is because he came out against the Iraq war, which shocked people because he was such a good soldier, so to speak. But where appropriations are concerned, he never changed his spots, not one bit.

[NoodleyAppendage]

12. Blackmail to keep his earmarks under wraps. Yet another DEM WHORE? Be gone asswipe!

Murtha is the king of earmarks, many of which are probably for private firms working with the intelligence community. Alternatively, it's also possible that Chimperator has dirt on Murtha and Murtha isn't man enough to buck his blackmail attempts.

Gone are the days of honor.

J

[redqueen]

13. Unbelievable...

just... ugh.

*sigh*

[donkeyotay]

18. I can see where the opposing view would merit debate

"The opposing view," according to Aftergood, "adopted by the 9/11 Commission and endorsed by Congress last month, is that budget disclosure is an indispensable precondition to broader accountability and that it is essential to restoring the credibility of a defective classification system."

Accountability. Restored credibility. Naw. Let's just keep on with more of the same.

[Vidar]

20. Fuck that!

[AX10]

21. Murtha, now there's someone I trust with accountability.

:sarcasm:

Murtha doesn't want us to see the pork he's bringing home. That pork is not going for things such as roads and hospitals, but to his defense contractor buddies.

[frylock]

22. just blame ralph nader..

it's a popular tactic around here.

[lynne]

23. I don't get it -

- I thought disclosure was always a GOOD thing. HUH??? :shrug:

[IndianaGreen]

24. Our Beltway friends from both parties forget they work for the American people

All this secrecy is to prevent you and me from knowing how much money is wasted on black programs.

How much is it costing us to run that non-Air Force air complex at Area 51? Did it occur to anyone to look at the Interior Department's budget, the one that is not available to the public?