Posted on 06/08/2006 2:44:04 PM PDT by Kaslin
Vice President Dick Cheney Thursday defended himself against accusations by a leading Republican senator that he worked to thwart Senate plans to make telephone executives testify at a hearing about a U.S. domestic spying program.
A day after Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Arlen Specter rebuked Cheney for trying to head off subpoenas of the phone company executives, Cheney acknowledged that he had spoken to Senate leaders and members of Specter's committee.
He said in a letter to Specter that he acted when the administration became concerned about a "compulsory process to force testimony" in a matter that could involve classified information.
However, he said, his contacts with senators were "not unusual" and that in his role as vice president, "I have frequent contact with senators, both at their initiative and mine."
"The respectful and candid exchange of views is something to be encouraged rather than avoided," Cheney said.
Specter had written to Cheney to protest his role in what the Pennsylvania senator said was a larger White House effort to keep the courts and Congress from examining constitutional questions raised by the warrantless eavesdropping program.
Specter said Cheney had asked Republicans to oppose "any ... hearing, even a closed one" and advised lawmakers that the companies were "not to provide any information to the committee as they were prohibited from disclosing classified information."
Specter said Cheney's action prompted him to delay plans to subpoena the executives. The subpoenas would compel executives to testify about what role their companies may have played in the spy program.
The domestic spying program, which President Bush ordered soon after the Sept. 11 attacks, allows the National Security Agency to monitor the international phone calls and e-mails of U.S. citizens without first obtaining warrants if in pursuit of al-Qaida suspects.
Cheney said that his conversations with the senators took place after White House Chief of Staff Joshua Bolten raised the concerns with Specter himself.
Perhaps in his own mind.
The day got a little better.
I can't stand Snarlin Arlen.
We alomst had him off the JC, but certain leaders wimped out.
We should have pushed even harder.
What a pompous a-hole.
Good for Cheney.
This is the Baron of Scotland trying to micro-manage his turf as chair of a committee and being pissy with the Vice President of his own party and an administration that saved his bacon in the last Primaries.
Why Bush supported this scumbag in the PA GOP primary in 2004...
Specter cannot win this argument and needs to step away from pen and paper, have a drink and settle down.
Cheney is much more respected by conservatives than Arlen and Cheney doesn't give a rat's butt what the liberals think.
It is wrong for Arlen to try to haul the phone company execs in to use them as proxies in his battle with the executive.
Don't hold back...:-)
Dick Cheney is PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE!!!!
Arlen is just a committee chairman.
Case closed.
We now return you to our regularly scheduled feature: "Scottish Law and the United States Senate".
Just gotta love him.
The Vice President is President of the Senate. Arlen may need to borrow Sheets Byrd's pocket copy of the Constitution to remind him of the fact.
First Zarqawi, then Samhadana, and now Specter.
It just keeps getting better.
I'd be interested in seeing MacRanger's take on this. There's certainly more going on here than what's being reported.
Mr. VP this is what you get in gratitude for the administration you are a part of helping to put RINO's in positions of power.
Makes perfect sense. I'm a grandfather and Mrs. Chandler seems to like me.
Excellent!
1- Zark
2- Cole underway
3- Zark's brother and Al Jazeera "journalist" arrested in Jordan on LIVE TV..
4- Head of Haha in Gaza taken out by Israeli's
5- Cheney :)
Man oh man...as the kids say..SWEET!
I defy anyone to name two better "power couples" than George & Laura and Dick & Lynne. Classy, bright people who do not take garbage from anyone.
I have asked myself that same question for a long time.
Lynne was and is a very smart woman.
Precisely.
Cheney is the "head' of the Senate. He has every right to be involved, despite Specter's wishes otherwise.
Besides I thought Specter and his ilk were last complaining the admin wasn't involved enough, and didn't consult them enough. I suppose it depends on the issue, right Arlen?
He really isn't as smart as he believes himself to be. If he were, he wouldn't contradict himself so easily.
Anyway, I'm far more secure with Cheney's involvement then Specter's. Keep it up Mr. Vice.
What a day, huh?
You re right....Cheney desn't take any guff off of
anyone, much less he egocentrics in the Senate...I
thnk Specter and McCain and the two Maine Senators
may be the "orgy foursome" of the Senate?? Jake
he has a damned short memory.
Dear Arliss:
Dick Cheney does not trust you.
Excuse me....Cheney is the President of the freaking Senate. Who is the liberal Rhino Republican think he is?
He should be thanking his POTUS and VPOTUS that he has his Senate seat and shut up.
Too big for liberal britches...that is what he is.
Cheney to Specter......effuuuu
Actually, I'd like to see Specter screw with AT&T Chairman Ed Whitacre. The man's a Texan, through and through.
A day after Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Arlen Specter rebuked Cheney for trying to head off subpoenas of the phone company executives, Cheney acknowledged that he had spoken to Senate leaders and members of Specter's committee.
Sounds like somebody needs to remind Arlene Sphincter of the Vice President's other title: President of the Senate
Which is EXACTLY what this is all about.
Thank God we still have Dick Cheney to count on, he has class.
Specter is an ass!
Dick needs to snatch him bald, again.
as they say, a pic is worth a thousand words : )
Good lord, whatever made you think that Arlen was ever concerned with that particular outdated document?
Has there ever been a time in our past when so many of our esteemed elected "officials" valued their own visibility so much more than the security of their own country?
Has there ever been a time of such stupid, seditious, treasonous behavior by our own citizens and "leaders" apparently bent on national suicide?
Has there ever been such a clueless time that so many people are incapable of seeing that a bunch of backwards, barbaric fascists want to kill us all? Are they totally incapable of seeing and so blind that they don't realize that a group of insane fanatics wants the death of Western civilization? Do they all have death wishes?
If somebody was trying to bash your front door down, trying to stab, shoot or bomb you wouldn't you fight back? If your house was on fire wouldn't you have enough sense to reach for the hose or get out of a burning building?
What is wrong with these people? They don't have enough sense to come in out of the rain.
Tell him to Leahy himself, Dick.
Pinging you to a thread about your favorite guy.
:)
I really had to dig to find that! The FR thread got pulled, probably because most of us were acting wildly inappropriately.
Could be a General Honore moment for Arlen.
After this election, when we gain a few more seats, can't we get rid of him as chair, and put in someone who supports the President?
Cheney: "How's that cup of STFU, Senator? Hot enough for ya?"
Well based on how quickly there were nearly a dozen comments about Cheney's Constitutional position/title of President of the Senate, it would appear that the AVERAGE FReeper is much smarter and better informed than the pompous senator from Pennsylvania. Perhaps he needs to brush up on AMERICAN law and traditions and not pay so much attention to Scottish law and traditions.
LOL! I was just going to ping you regarding that "could the day get any better?" comment. ;*)
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