And The Beat Goes On
I think it’s real sweet of Republicans to make us a list of the 47 craziest United States Senators. It saves us the effort. And as an added benefit, we get to watch them all run backwards with their shoes tied together now.
I have to admit that John McCain’s explanation of “I sign a lot of things,” was the cutest way to minimize doing something dumber than bean dip.
“I saw the letter, I saw that it looked reasonable to me and I signed it, that’s all. I sign lots of letters,” said Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.).
And when that didn’t fly, he switched to …
John McCain: “It was kind of a very rapid process. Everybody was looking forward to getting out of town because of the snowstorm.”
Yeah, it’s the weather – made us act crazy.
Poor Tom Cotton stands there alone with his pants around his ankles while 46 of his fellow senators now claim they don’t know him. Well, maybe “poor” wasn’t the right word to use.
According to newly released FEC filings, Cotton received $960,250 in supportive campaign advertising in the last month from the Emergency Committee for Israel (ECI), a right-wing group headed by the neoconservative pundit, Bill Kristol, who infamously predicted that the Iraq war would last two months. At its inception, the ECI was based out of the same Washington office as the Committee of the Liberation of Iraq, a pressure group that lobbied for the 2003 invasion.
Some even suspect that Bill Kristol wrote the danged letter. I think that’s probably right because only Kristol can be that condescending and boneheaded at the same time. Cotton owes his senate seat to Kristol with the influx of cash and advertising during the last month of a close race.
But the cherry on top of this heap-o’-crap would be if Netanyahu’s speech to congress costs him the election.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu launched a last-minute media blitz on Thursday to counter what appears to be a rising tide of support for his main opponent in next week’s election, the centrist Zionist Union.
If that happens, we are all sending thank you notes to John Boehner, and an eleven foot pole to stand outside of Tom Cotton’s office because from now on nobody will touch him with a ten foot one.
Thanks to everybody for the heads up.
Upon reading Netanyahu’s latest interview, I am so reminded of Vote-For-Us-Or-You-Are-All-Going-To-Die Cheney. He’s got nothing but fear and war to offer them. No wonder the Republicans love him.
1Of course Cotton was paid off to do this and right behind Kristol, I can hear the Kochs breathing hard. All these war mongers are spouting the same misinformation they spread before Iraq. How’d that work out!
2I hope Netanyahu does lose the election. Israel is not part of the United States and talking in front of congress was just an election stunt that should never have been allowed. I do not agree with some of our politicians unquestioning support of Israel’s aggressions.
I lost any respect I had of McCain when he brought Palin into the national political scene. To me he’s approaching Pat Robertson level of crazy and irresponsibility.
3Oops. I gotta be sure and remember all this stuff and add it to my list of STUFF TO REMEMBER DURING POLITICAL CAMPAIGNS.
4Frankly I want to know where ya sign up to rant, babble and drool before a joint session of the legislature. I have some complaints about parking lots with curbs between them and roadways that just peter out for no good reason. A joint session of the legislature strikes me as a great place to go to get the national conversation started about these two very important (to me) issues. Of course I’m talking Parliament. Cause I’d like to score a trip to the UK as well. Trip to Israel, not so much.
5Cannot for the life of me understand why none of the 47 have not yet resigned their seats? Are they actually waiting for someone to tear them out of their Senatorial offices and drag them down the halls screaming and kicking? I pity anybody who works for them! It will never look good on a resume.
6The whole crazy document isn’t two pages long; if McCain didn’t have the patience to read it before signing what can we expect from him when presented with a zillion pages of regulations or a foot-thick stack of budget numbers?
7I agree with glf that McCain’s selection of Palin erased any lingering respect I might have had for him.
I know the whole Netanyahu/Iran letter mess is a deadly serious problem but part of my response is more irritation than anger: they insult my intelligence and that really rankles.
And here I thought that only the House Republicans were totally bat-crap crazy.
I stand corrected.
8Just out of curiosity, did any women sign this letter was it just the guys? And were they all white? And mostly elderly?
This is a microcosm of the Republican party and, though they don’t realize it, they are very much a minority and shrinking all the time.
9McCain’s concession speech was sane and dignified, and I wondered where that man had been all during the campaign. But apparently that man’s gone again….
10LynnN, I noticed Joni (testicle-remover) Ernst signed it, thereby proving her bat poop crazy bona fides.
11Children who have not been taught better blame someone else for their misdeeds. Adults who were taught better as children accept personal responsibility for their actions.
12All wingnut women sinators except Murkowski of Alaska signed the damn thing.
Ivana Kuturnutzov of iowa
13Deb Fischer of Neb
Sado Masochist Capito of West Virginia
Miss Lindsey Graham of the Confederate State of South Sarolina
@Rosemary and LynnN:
Joni Ernst…. if I read correctly, as an Officer/Member in good standing of the Iowa National Guard…. in signing the infamous letter, may also have violated the Uniformed Code of Military Justice.
Logan Act.Prosecution…… maybe Court Martial. Either would suit me fine.
14John McCain’s “I saw the letter, I saw that it looked reasonable to me and I signed it…” is pretty scary.
15A few years ago I was staying with my parents in their old age and my dad signed and added his ssn to every piece of mail that asked for it. Mostly right wingers begging for money of course. I asked him what was up and why he wasn’t a bit more discerning and he said the exact same thing. It was a bad sign for him and looks like it may be a bad sign for McCain.
I understand Susan Collins did not sign the letter, but she seems fairly reasonable for a Republican.
Slate has referred to Cotton as “Sarah Palin with a Harvard degree”, which I wouldn’t take as a compliment if I were Cotton.
The thing these ignoramuses do not appear to realize is that when they are thumbing their ugly noses at President Obama, they are also thumbing their noses at the leaders of the five other countries who are with the President on the negotiations.
16What kind of excuse is it “signed, but unread”? That wouldn’t fly for a minor functionary much less a Senator. Did he bother to ask what was in it? We know the aides must have written it, but lordy folks, you all are ultimately responsible for that cr@p. Sorry, mama.
17June is absolutely right. I forgot about Ms Collins being a wingnut,but she is nearly a moderate so there is that. Since I made a bad,I will chastise myself forever or longer if I like it.
18I plan on visiting John “I sign a lot of letters” McCain soon. We need to fix the plumbing in BOTH bathrooms before we end up bathing in bucket in the backyard, so maybe if I just slip the bill in his pile, he will sign off on it.
Getting old sucks, don’t it John.
19Mark Kirk of Illinois was one of those who signed the letter, and on Tuesday he posted this on his website:
***
Kirk Statement on Cotton Letter Regarding Congress and Iran
Tuesday, Mar 10, 2015
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Mark Kirk (R-Ill.) today issued the following statement on the role of Congress amid American-led negotiations to constrain Iran’s nuclear program:
“In exchange for allowing Iran to maintain the capabilities to build nuclear weapons, the Administration promises to “comprehensively lift” as many as 14 Iran sanctions laws, many of which passed with bipartisan veto-proof majorities. There is no Constitutional authority granting a president unilateral power to repeal American law. Sanctions should not be weakened until Iran stops its nuclear weapons program, stops supporting and exporting terrorism, stops aggression against its neighbors, stops egregious human rights abuses, and stops threatening to annihilate Israel. A better deal, with bipartisan congressional backing, is the best insurance policy against a nuclear Iran, a destructive arms race, and war in the Middle East.”
***
Well, Senator, I can appreciate the views you expressed in your statement, but you didn’t say a damn thing explaining why you put your signature to Tom Cotton’s dumbass letter. A few days ago I filled out your comment form to say that I have always admired your character and that you have tried to be a moderate finder of solutions to our problems, but that your signing Cotton’s letter went beyond stupid. Now, your latest statement demonstrates that you have gone beyond stupid-er. For shame.
20Overheard in the Senate GOP cloakroom: “Here, hold my beer and watch me send a letter.”
21If McCain isn’t responsible enough to read what he signs, thank God he never really got close to the presidency.
22EPO, I really enjoyed your enumeration of Repuglican female senators, especially Ivana, the castrator.
23Joni Ernst may be a member of that National Guard Unit the same way GWB was a member of his Air National Guard Unit; in short, on paper only. However, if that is not the case, then it would be up to her commanding officer to take her in tow and read her the charges against her and have her cuffed and led to the guard house prior to court martial.
24I will remember McCain’s not reading that screed for content before signing, in case anyone brings up Pelosi not reading all 70 thousand pages of the ACA.
25Lord Gawd,the stuff is gonna hit the fan now. Here is the original letter Cotton wrote to Iran. Note some words were changed in the actual copy sent to Iran.
https://twitter.com/KumarsSalehi/status/575864080457592832
This is Pulitzer prize winning investigative reporting.
26H/T to e platypus onion for “Ivana Kuturnutzov.” She is still a light colonel in the Iowa Army National Guard.
Bring on the MCM, Micr! We have some firing squads to convene. Pack your chute, Ayatollah of the Ozarks, aka Tehran Tom; you’re going down.
27@PKM
In order to expedite the signers with military ties, I suggest an Article 133 for each. Let the courts martial commenceth.
The civilians just need to bide their time.
28Micr, summon the Incontinent Army of the Confederate States or we could further simplify matters and airlift all 47 to Iran.
29Rosemary, have we verified that Joni is a woman? Have we even verified that she’s a human?
30Chief over at Stonekettle has done a really good one as usual. His letter to the 47 is all time terrific. Still waiting for Ernst to end up in the stockade! Better hurry up. I am three quarters of a century old!
31You mean they didn’t blame it on climate change?
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