Top Democrats Delay on Contempt Resolutions for Miers, Bolton

[babylonsister]

And some wonder why the contempt for Dems...


Top Democrats Balk on Contempt Resolutions
by John Bresnahan


House Democrats have postponed a vote until December on contempt resolutions against White House chief of staff Josh Bolten and former White House counsel Harriet Miers, delaying for now any constitutional showdown with the White House over the president’s power to resist congressional subpoenas.

Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers Jr. (D-Mich.) has been pushing for the contempt vote, arguing that the White House must be held accountable for ignoring subpoenas issued by his panel as part of the U.S. attorney firing scandal. Other top Democrats, including Caucus Chairman Rahm Emanuel (Ill.), have argued that the House should put off that fight while debates over Iraq funding and electronic eavesdropping dominate the floor. The contempt vote had been tentatively scheduled for Friday before Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer (D-Md.) informed his colleagues that it was being delayed.

“{Emanuel}] has been saying that this week is not the time to do this, that it will step on our message on Iraq and FISA,” said a top House Democratic leadership aide.

Emanuel could not be reached for comment by press time on Tuesday. The Illinois Democrat was overseeing an “issues conference” for House Democrats, urging rank-and-file lawmakers to hold more town-hall-style meetings with constituents in order to explain to them what Democrats have achieved since taking control of Congress.

Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) is backing Conyers and wants a floor vote on the contempt resolution, but she has agreed to wait another few weeks before forcing a showdown with President Bush on the matter.

“I think it’s going to happen before we leave for the year, but not necessarily this week,” Hoyer said Tuesday.

more...

http://www.commondreams.org/archive/2007/11/14/5223/

[robinlynne]

1. Seems to me the contempt resolution would HELP the other votes.

And we have a great history of voting the night before a big vacation. That really works out well.

[hisownpetard]

2. Sick, adj. ill, ailing, unwell, unhealthy, infirm, nauseated, queasy, green around the gills.

Tired, ad. fatigued, weary, worn-out, exhausted, burned-out, fed-up, *bushed*.

[jaysunb]

3. So much for, " multi-tasking."

:evilfrown: The DLC/DINO wing of the party, rules.

[Mme. Defarge]

4. This party

needs major surgery and massive doses of chemotherapy.

[blm]

5. Sibel Edmonds has said that some well-known powerful Dems are obstructing HER case, too.

Gee - why would they do THAT? More protection for Poppy Bush, his cronies, House of Saud, Dubai, et al?

[jaysunb]

6. More like ,covering their own complicity.

there can be no other reason. :evilfrown:

:hi:

[tularetom]

7. Just as I suspected - that asshole Emanuel is pullin the strings

He's got Hoyer by the short ones and the two of them have Pelosi whipped. I do agree with them that the Dems should hold town hall type meetings. The first thing my critter would hear is to stop listening to that POS emanuel and start listening to the voters.

[blm]

9. Rahm serves his wing of the party - the Fascist wing of the party

that is charged with leading the reluctant Dems to get on that road to fascism the way Bush-Rove have led their followers.

[dflprincess]

8. Could we please get Democrats to run agains Hoyer and Emanuel next year?

n/t