Posted on 06/17/2005 5:24:13 PM PDT by Congressman Billybob
Let’s talk about the stupidity of Senators. Senator Dick Durbin (D., Ill.) is our Poster Child. First, there is no known lower limit on the stupidity of an individual Senator.
For gross public dumb, it’s hard to beat a one-term Iowa Senator who went to a local massage parlor to have his ashes hauled. He was dumb enough to pay with a credit card. And dumb to have a staffer who was living in sin with an Iowa reporter. As a result, the credit card slip was published in a paper, and the gentleman’s career ended at six years.
This illustrates two sides of the issue of Senate stupidity. The job of the Senator is to be alive and get reelected. Almost everything else that a Senator does can be done by staff. More than a few Senators have been relatively successful despite being notorious drunks. The Irish tend that way (no cards or letters, I’m part Irish with a right to say that).
In short, it’s the job of staff to be sober and on duty 24/7. They feed information, talking points, entire speeches, to the boss, so the Senator then sounds prepared on the subject with useful ideas to offer. The best of Senators lead their staffs. The worst of Senators are led by their staffs. Think ventriloquist’s dummy; you get the idea.
Now we turn to Dickie Durbin’s comments on the Senate floor. He read what he said was an e-mail from an unknown FBI agent about actions at Gitmo, and then said: “If I read this to you and did not tell you that it was an FBI agent describing what Americans had done to prisoners in their control, you would most certainly believe this must have been done by Nazis, Soviets in their gulags or some mad regime - Pol Pot or others - that had no concern for human beings.” Minor point: the FBI is not in Gitmo, so this is obvious hearsay.
Let’s put some facts on the table. Within minutes of Durbin’s comment, folks posted on the Internet comparisons of how bad these various regimes were. In the Nazi death camps about 9 million people were killed. In the Soviet gulags, about 2.7 million people died. And under Pol Pot, about 1.7 million were killed. From my research, those figures are low, but close enough for government work.
In Gitmo, by comparison, there are suggestions of five instances of possible “Koran abuse” by guards. No one has been killed. The one inmate treated worst was the apparent “20th hijacker,” slated to fly a plane full of passengers into the White House.
The blogosphere can get the Soviet, Nazi, and Khmer Rouge information in seconds. Therefore, alert staffers for Dickie Durbin could have gotten the same information before he went on the Senate floor and revealed himself as the south end of a northbound horse.
The fact that Durbin wasn’t warned off means one of two things, both bad. Was the Senator such a geopolitical moron not to see how wrong his comment would be, and said this off the cuff without consulting staff? That means this stupidity is his, alone. Or, did Durbin consult with his staff before this remark? Then, the stupidity here is ubiquitous in his staff.
What has happened since, about Dickie Durbin’s incompetent history lesson? He’s refused to apologize, but has begun to lie and cover up. Days later, he quoted himself in the Senate, “you might conclude that it was done by one of those repressive regimes....” Go back and review. When he shot his mouth off originally, he didn’t say, “might.” That’s a new and false addition.
Now, Dickie Durbin has blamed the “right wing media” for the “Nazi flap.” A UPI article, 17 June, 2005, concluded, “He said abusive treatment of prisoners was something most likely in ‘repressive regimes’ than the United States.” It’s hard to understand why Durbin thinks that calling the United States a “repressive regime” will help end the criticism he is already receiving from many people across the political spectrum.
Apparently, Durbin’s ignorance of history includes ignorance of Presidents in the 20th Century who were Democrats. A turning point in Harry Truman’s 1948 campaign came when a listener called out, “Give ‘em Hell, Harry.” Truman replied, “I don’t have to give ‘em Hell. I just tell the truth and they think it’s Hell.”
Well, the same applies to Dickie Durbin today. We only have to tell the truth to cut him down to size. Welcome to Hell, Dickie. You’re so dumb you richly deserve it.
About the Author: John Armor is a First Amendment attorney and author who lives in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina. John_Armor@aya.yale.edu
Lemme know what y'all think of it.
Link to contact your senator
Link to contact your representative
ABC CBS NBC CNN its all the SAME, Propaganda.
Might as well call them all AmeriJazerra.
Show them how much Gravitas Hugh Bris has. Vote with your remote! Shut down the Alphabet channels.
He's Got A Plan
Zippo Hero
Seven Dead Monkeys Page O Tunes
Don't be a know nothing do nothing dumbocrap! 
"Hitlery's legal stance on everything
Said there was no excuse for what he said and that it was unforgivable.
Very good. I think the FR poll about Durbin's comments was flawed, in that it didn't include "hawg-stupid" as a choice.
Could it be that the government of Saudi Arabia, Iran, Syria, Pakistan, etc. don't want to have to deal with these people?
Nothing much a staff can do about a guy determined to make a fool of himself. They can feed him facts, but not good taste, a sense of proportion, or enough political smarts to know where the minefields lay. That's supposed to be a job requirement, but now and then a Durbin reminds us that it's easy to get elected without it.
I love it. And I love the Silence of the Dems.
America is getting an eyeful of these enemies of ours. And it ain't pretty.
Thanks for posting this.
We just call him Dick.
"...south end of a northbound horse" -- what does this mean? I wish you wouldn't write in such fancy language, Rep. BillyBob.
Great job !
Hey! I think I'm getting it! It looks just like the north end of a southbound horse!
Then if you lead the two horses away, whatever is left on the pavement is Dickie Durbin.
Here is the quote from the Congressional Record, with one slight correction:
If I read this to you and did not tell you that it was an FBI agent describing what Americans had done to prisoners in their control, you would most certainly believe this must have been done by Nazis, Soviets in their gulags, or some mad regime—Pol Pot or others— that had no concern for human beings. Sadly, that is not the case. This was the action of Americans in the treatment of their prisoners.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator’s time brain has expired.
Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President,...
The people in his office have stopped answering the phone...it just rings and rings or they have unplugged it..
There is nothing we Repubs in ILL can do with him, this state is too stoopid ...
http://www.lasvegassun.com/sunbin/stories/bw-cong/2005/jun/17/061700840.html
Senator Regrets if Remarks Misunderstood
Don't we feel better now?
Excellent article, cbb.
We need another article that asks, "What do SANE armies do with dangerous, captured, battlefield combatants?"
Excellent article Congressman.
Armor ping, B4.
Good job!
I have "tacks" to suggest in addition.
We get it, we get it. Our soldiers are Nazis, Bush is a Nazi, Rumsfeld is a Nazi, the people in the two towers were Nazis, Republicans are all Nazis in pinstripes, the pope is a Nazi, Sharon is a Nazi, all the Israelis are Nazis. OK. But is Hussein a Nazi? Are Baathists Nazis? Are people who saw off heads of Jews on videotape for purposes of recruitment, Nazis? We want to know Durbin's opinion on those interesting subjects. And whether he thinks Nazis should be left alone, kowtowed to, appeased, given their own country to rule despotically. Is Durbin against Nazis or in favor of them? Was he trying to attack our soldiers or to praise them? We'd like him to go on the record on that. Because I swear we can't tell.
Then to Stalinists. Since when does the left oppose Stalinists? Are there any Stalinists in the peace movement? Did John Kerry ever work for Stalinists? Did the left oppose communists or opposed anti-communists? Did they defend Hiss or attack him? Did they defend people who literally gave atom bombs to Stalin himself, or condemn them? Would Durbin care to do so now? Did they praise to the skies those who revealed the Gulag, or smear them? Do they support or oppose the regimes still running gulags today? Do they call for them to be paid and appeased, or to be confronted? Did leftist reporters explain the terror famines as they were happening, or deny them, explain them away. Did they support "revolutionary terror" or denounce it? Would Durbin like to take this opportunity to denounce it?
Then to third world killing fields by indigenous tyrants. Did the left support those who fought the Kymer Rouge, or the Kymer Rouge? Do they e.g. read Chomsky who praised them, or revile Chomsky for doing so? If they pretend to blame Nixon, do they blame Churchill for Auschwitz? Did they support Nixon fighting against communism in southeast Asia, or call for us to stay out of it? Did they predict the crimes of the Kymer Rouge, or make up crimes to pin on US soldiers? Did they denounce the Kymer Rouge for cutting off heads in the manner of Ghengis Khan, or US servicemen? Do they denounce those who cut off heads in the manner of Ghengis Khan today, or denounce their jailers? Do they denounce third world tyrants and terrorists slaughtering their own people, or call them freedom fighters and insurgents struggling for national liberation? Which did Michael Moore call them? Did the rest of the left denounce him, or fawn over him? Do they read Fanon in multiculturist classes to raise consciousness about the justified violence of the oppressed, or denounce him as a murderer and justifier of murderers? Did they do anything about the latest genocide, on Clinton's watch? Or did they just watch? Did they claim afterward they didn't know, when we know now they were listening to the radio reports and knew exactly?
Last, I have a question. What does Durbin think ought to be done about Nazis, Stalinists, and murderous thugs like Pol Pot? Does he propose we give them tea and cookies? Does he regard such enemies as worth lifting a finger to stop? Does he believe war is justified against such enemies? Or does he think one must let live, and leave such people alone? Is he leaving American soldiers, Bush, Rumsfeld, the Pope, Sharon, Israelis - alone? If Durbin lived in a Nazi regime, a real Nazi regime with Goerings in charge of the police, would he talk as he does? Since he talks as he does, does he believe himself he lives in a ruthless, unjust, tyrannical regime? Wouldn't he act rather differently if he did? Since he clearly doesn't but says such things, who is he actually defending?
What does the modern left have against mass murderers again? Aren't they the greatest cheerleaders and interference runners for mass murderers the world has yet seen?
Congressman Moran and Conyers comes in a close second.
Why didn't they call for his RESIGNATION!??
How can the American people, Trust this Man as a Senator in the US Congress. This is one of the highest elected offices in the American Government. To allow this man, who by his actions and speech on the floor of the US Congress debased the character and honor of the very people who are fighting and dieing for this country and for Mr. Durbin's freedoms in this country.!!
Mr. Durbin and anyone who has this opinion of our sons and daughters does not deserve to be honored by holding this high office. He is making decision's that place these very Soldiers, Sailors, Marines and Coastguardsmen lives in jeopardy!! He cannot be trusted with their lives.
We should DEMAND that he resigns!!!
The rule for the Treatment of Terrorist Prisoners should be:
1. They are entitled to the SAME TREATMENT as they have given to the prisoners they have held.
Well said, but why did the people of Illinois vote for this "lower limit on the stupidity of an individual" for Senator.
Doesn't this say too much about todays America?
That must be some type of vernacular. I've never heard that one before. LOL
Another winner!
You left out the White Christian Republicans who all look and act alike.
Please pass the duct tape
BTTT for Congressman Billybob.
Most excellent.
I envy your succinct eloquence.
Durbin's treasonous words give greater aid and comfort to our enemies that did those of Hanoi Jane and Traitor John Kerry during the Viet Nam war.
_______________________________________
Sounds like Sedition and Aiding the Enemy in a Time of War runs pretty Hot and Heavy in the Progressive Democratic Party. We, The Patriotic American People are NOT going to Standby and let them Do it Again!!
Bravo, JasonC, BRAVO!!! Cream of the crop, so far, and I have read every available Durbin thread.
Or .. one or more of his staffers are members of such groups as MoveOn.org .. where such a conspiracy theory is readibly available.
I am an anonymous FBI agent. I saw terrible things happen to those unfortunate people being held at Guantanamo. Please tell everybody you know about this.
P.S. My son is not feeling well today, and will not be in school."
Signed,
Epstein's Mother
Oh I love that Graphic!
OUTSTANDING! (As always CB!) Thanks.
LOL! (Very funny AZ!) LOL! Thanks.
WOW! Thanks JasonC. Thanks.
"Nothing too extreme can be said about liberals because it's all true." -Ann Coulter
White heat, Jason. You nailed it.
You're on a roll John. Thanks for another great piece.
Yes, it doesn't say much about a lot of our "fellow citizens"....it is what one man-one vote eventually leads to.
It embarasses me that we have to share the same country with that many greedy ignorants.
Coulter immediately came to mind as I read this article, but the style was more reserved and factual.
Durbin is a big fat target, and deservedly so. Together with Dean, the two of 'em are hanging the dims.
***
Durbin needs to GO!
Well, I think it's pretty good. I only wish that Dork Turban defused bombs for a living. As you say, he's stupid.
Excellent - a mere hair breadth's away from my two favorites, P.J. O'Rourke and Mark Steyn.
Jason, your post is outstanding!
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