[jdm]

UPDATE & BUMP: Judicial Watch's website has come back up, with no word on what caused it to go down. The memoranda can now be read in full, and the Rockefeller memo has some interesting passages. He offers the suggestion that opponents should have their "lifestyles" exposed at least twice, and argues both for engaging lobbyists and smearing them.

Rockefeller also offers a little intellectually honest advice at least twice. When discussing abortion, he gets very terse (emphasis mine):

Response concepts: ... Full Reproductive Services. Do not engage on this topic.

When it comes to actually discussing the plan in detail, Rockefeller had this advice: don't do that, either. He wrote that the effort to mobilize public support should focus on providing only a "broad" picture of the benefits and costs, and that the Task Force would "LOSE by focusing on the mechanical details". Opponents of the plan had to be shown as "perpetrators" who had to be "isolated" from each other.

And remember, this isn't a political action committee or an electoral office campaign. This was the elected government of the United States discussing how it would steamroller opposition to nationalizing an entire industry by smearing them and by avoiding discussion of the policy itself. It's an amazingly appalling piece of work, and West Virginians should ask themselves why Rockefeller continues to represent them. Voters nationwide should ask themselves if they want to return the Clintons to power and once again risk this kind of autocratic abuse of power.

[doug from upland]

There would be intense media pressure on a GOP senator for a memo like this and calls for resignation.

[rock_lobsta]

West Virginians should ask themselves why Rockefeller continues to represent them.

I ask myself why Rockefeller hasn't been convicted of treason yet...

[Gondring]

This was the elected government of the United States discussing how it would steamroller opposition to nationalizing an entire industry by smearing them and by avoiding discussion of the policy itself

And, correct me if I'm wrong, the American taxpayer funded this.

In other words, the American taxpayer funded the development of strategies on how to advocate against American taxpayers.

[ripley]

“voters nationwide should ask themselves if they want to return the clintons to power...”

“voters” will vote into office what they want. a majority of them are intellectualizing socialists who “feel” that republicans are mean, that bill and hiilary are nice, and that someone should “fight” the mean people who have more than they do. hillary! will be president, by hook, crook or voting machine and she will certainly “fight”.

(is the good senator from michigan laughing at us?)