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While on the board of a Chicago-based charity, Barack Obama helped fund a carbon trading exchange that will likely play a critical role in the cap-and-trade carbon reduction program he is now trying to push through Congress as president. In 2000 and 2001, while Barack Obama served as a board member for a Chicago-based charitable foundation, he helped to fund a pioneering carbon trading exchange that is likely to fill a critical role in the controversial cap-and-trade carbon reduction scheme that President Obama is now trying to push rapidly through Congress. During those two years, the Joyce Foundation gave nearly...

Admittedly, I'm not posting this just so I can say "zombie klansman". Ever since Jan. 3, 1953, Robert Carlyle Byrd has represented West Virginia in Congress, first in the House, then in the Senate. If you're counting, that's 56 years, 10 months and 16 days. Today he became the longest-serving member of Congress, eclipsing Carl Hayden, who represented Arizona from 1912, when the state joined the Union, until he retired in 1968. Byrd represents so much of what's wrong with lazy voters, the media and the Senate that it's difficult to know where to begin.

<p>West Virginia Sen. Robert C. Byrd became the longest-serving lawmaker in congressional history Wednesday, a milestone to be marked with a morning of Senate tributes and a special resolution.</p> <p>It was unclear whether Byrd would be able to attend Wednesday's session.</p>

We need to start blasting all his phones, emails , twitter account, facebooks, and writing to the newspapers. Even if you don't live in his state you need to still be active on them and tell them no business in West Virginia if Byrd votes in favor of Obama's reckless Obamacare and cap n trade. Offices Charleston Office 300 Virginia Street, East Suite 2630 Charleston, WV 25301 Telephone: (304) 342-5855 Fax: (304) 343-7144 Eastern Panhandle Office 217 West King Street Room 238 Martinsburg, WV 25401 Telephone: (304) 264-4626 Fax: (304) 262-3039 To read the rest of info follow link http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977872744

So the word was that Democratic leaders worried about the health of Democratic Senate President Pro Tempore Robert C. Byrd, whom they needed as a 60th vote to end any Republican filibuster. On Wednesday, Byrd voted against cloture — meaning he sided with the Republican filibuster. (snip) Byrd could be an ally in stopping Obamacare. He killed Hillarycare 16 years ago. He just may have an inclination to do it again.

Q: What is Robert Byrd's favorite convenience store? A: Sheetz. It reminds him of what he wore when he hung out with the good old boys. Q: Why did Robert Byrd stop reading "The Hobbit?" A: He realized that (Theodore) Bilbo was not on his way to visit a (Grand) Dragon. Q: Why did Robert Byrd stop reading "Lord of the Rings?" A: He realized that the White Wizard was not going to become the Grand Wizard. Q: Why did Robert Byrd like the song "In a White Room?" A: He thought it was about a whites-only room. Q:...

Senator Robert Byrd, the number one reason for term limits in the United States Congress (first elected in 1958 to the United States Senate, still in office today), has not been a full time Senator representing West Virginia for literally years, as his health continues to decline, it is about time that Byrd retire from the United States Senate.

Ambulances race to Byrd's home By: Manu Raju September 22, 2009 10:16 AM EST Ambulances and fire trucks were dispatched to the Northern Virginia home of Sen. Robert Byrd Tuesday morning. A neighbor of the 91-year-old West Virginia Democrat said several ambulances were outside his residence in McLean, Va., and a Byrd spokesman said the senator suffered a fall in his home. An officer at the McLean Fire Department said that a unit was dispatched at 9:10 to the address where Byrd lives, but he declined to comment on the substance of the response. Byrd – the longest-serving senator in...

Here's the mp3 of Senator Byrd. If Dem's want to play this game... I have a ton of audio clips for them.

A proud democrat around March 28, 1968. Senator Byrd said Dr. King ran like a "scared rabbit". Sheets Byrd

Ailing Senator Robert Byrd, one of only two to have served longer than Kennedy, suggests in an emotional statement renaming the pending health care legislation for the late Massachusetts Senator: "In his honor and as a tribute to his commitment to his ideals, let us stop the shouting and name calling and have a civilized debate on health care reform which I hope, when legislation has been signed into law, will bear his name for his commitment to insuring the health of every American."

West Virginia Senator Robert Byrd called today for Congress to change Barack Obama's middle name from Hussein to Fitzgerald.

Sen. Robert Byrd (D-W.Va.), the only senator to have served longer than the late Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.), mourned his friend Wednesday, saying his "heart and soul weeps." Byrd said he hoped healthcare reform legislation in the Senate would be renamed in memoriam of Kennedy. "I had hoped and prayed that this day would never come," Byrd said in a statement. "My heart and soul weeps at the lost of my best friend in the Senate, my beloved friend, Ted Kennedy."

Ailing Senator Robert Byrd, one of only two to have served longer than Kennedy, suggests in an emotional statement renaming the pending health care legislation for the late Massachusetts Senator: In his honor and as a tribute to his commitment to his ideals, let us stop the shouting and name calling and have a civilized debate on health care reform which I hope, when legislation has been signed into law, will bear his name for his commitment to insuring the health of every American. Washington, DC – Senator Robert C. Byrd, D-W.Va., issued the following statement upon learning of the...

Sen. Robert Byrd (D-W.Va.), the only senator to have served longer than the late Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.), mourned his friend Wednesday, saying his "heart and soul weeps." Byrd said he hoped healthcare reform legislation in the Senate would be renamed in memoriam of Kennedy. "I had hoped and prayed that this day would never come," Byrd said in a statement. "My heart and soul weeps at the lost of my best friend in the Senate, my beloved friend, Ted Kennedy." Byrd's wistful statement focused on the work accomplished with Kennedy during decades together in the Senate, and called on...

The ailing Sen. Robert Byrd returned to the Senate chamber on Tuesday, casting a vote against an amendment that would strip money from a defense bill. Byrd, the longest serving senator in history, is a die-hard appropriator and zealously guards the purse strings. His vote Tuesday, cast from his wheel chair, bucked the White House and Pentagon, both of which have said that additional F-22 fighters jets are not needed. (snip) The 91-year old West Virginia Democrat has been out since May suffering from a staph infection contracted when he was hospitalized for another type of infection. He was recently...

With the addition of Al Franken to the U.S. Senate, Democrats believed that now have a 60 vote, filibuster-proof majority. But on the issue of "Cap and Trade," at least one Democrat is not supporting the legislation in its current form - Sen. Robert Byrd of West Virginia . . . . MORE

WHEELING - He is not yet back to work in the Senate chamber, but U.S. Sen. Robert Byrd is opposing "cap and trade" legislation pushed by the Obama administration. The 91-year-old Byrd, D-W.Va., was released from an unidentified Washington, D.C. hospital last week after a month-long stay for a staph infection. He expects to return to the chamber before the Senate begins debate on "cap and trade" - which is tentatively set for this fall, according to Byrd's office. "I cannot support the House bill in its present form," Byrd said in a statement. "I continue to believe that clean...

WASHINGTON (AP) -- With health care legislation at a crossroads, the nation's hospitals are near agreement with a key lawmaker and the White House to pick up part of the cost of President Barack Obama's plan for expanded coverage, officials said Monday. The precise size of any deal was not available, although several days ago, talks were focused in the area $155 billion over a decade. These officials said under the emerging agreement, hospitals would accept lower-than-anticipated payments under Medicare and Medicaid, the federal health care programs for seniors and the poor. Any agreement involving Sen. Max Baucus, chairman of...

60 votes not so super for Obama, Senate DemocratsBy: LAURIE KELLMAN The Associated Press July 4, 2009 Congress returns for its midsummer session Monday with a Senate supermajority not super enough for President Barack Obama's top priorities to pass without Republican support. The seating of Minnesota Sen. Al Franken will give Democrats the filibuster-proof 60-40 majority in the Senate, but only on paper. Absences by two ailing senators mean the party can count only 58 votes, and then only if Majority Leader Harry Reid can herd two independents and the independent streaks of 55 others behind Obama's biggest initiatives: expanded...

One of West Virginia's U.S. senators is opposed to the landmark global warming bill that passed the House Friday, while the other has "serious concerns" about the measure.

The upside to Gerald Walpin’s firing as inspector general for the federal agency that oversees AmeriCorps is that he could appear in one of those “Organizing for America” ads that highlight Americans who have lost their jobs along with their health care. It’s just a thought. Walpin became the center of some media attention last week for suspending Barack Obama supporter Kevin Johnson, a former NBA star and now mayor of Sacramento, for irregularities in his use of federal money when he ran a charity. Walpin was asked by the board of the Corporation for National and Community Service to...

Democrats in West Virginia are gravely concerned about the health of their senior U.S. senator, 91-year-old Robert Byrd, who has been hospitalized since May with a series of infections. "We are just praying for him to get back to the Senate real soon," said Nick Casey, West Virginia Democratic Party chairman. Byrd's absence has caused distress among supporters and speculation about who would fill his seat if he is unable to return to work. As the Senate president pro tempore, Byrd is third in the presidential succession line, behind Vice President Joe Biden and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. He is...

Byrd aides studying mountaintop removal miningby The Associated Press Tuesday June 16, 2009 CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Aides to Sen. Robert C. Byrd are in southern West Virginia for what they call a three-day fact-finding tour about mountaintop removal mining. **SNIP** But the West Virginia Democrat issued a statement Tuesday saying his aides will see mountaintop mining operations firsthand. They will meet with coal industry officials, environmentalists and citizens. They'll also inspect flood recovery efforts and talk to people about fears that mining may have made the damage from the spring floods worse. Byrd says the Obama administration's plan to increase...

Last week President Obama appointed yet another “czar” with massive government power, answering only to him. Even before this latest appointment, the top-ranking Democrat in the Senate wrote President Obama a letter saying that these czars are unconstitutional. President Obama’s “czar strategy” is an unprecedented power grab centralizing authority in the White House, outside congressional oversight and in violation of the Constitution. As of last week, Czar Kenneth Feinberg has the authority to set the pay scale for executives at any company receiving government money (and how many aren’t, these days?). Czar Feinberg has the power to say that someone’s...

WASHINGTON, DC - The nation's longest-serving United States senator remained under a doctor's care this week in Washington. Senator Robert C. Byrd, 91, a West Virginia Democrat, was said by his staff to be receiving treatment for a staph infection. Media accounts have said that Byrd, who has been in frail physical condition for some time, has been confined to a Washington, D.C. area hospital since May 15. Byrd's spokesman, Jesse Jacobs, would not reveal the site where Byrd was confined when asked last week. He also would not discuss the severity of Byrd's illness. A source, usually reliable, said...

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- West Virginia's senior senator continues to recover in a Washington hospital, more than three weeks after he was admitted. Senator Robert C. Byrd's office reports he continues to fight a staph infection he developed while hospitalized. He remains in contact with his staff, but is not expected to return to his work on capitol hill this week. The 91-year-old says he appreciates well wishes from friends and collegues.

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Sen. Robert C. Byrd of West Virginia, the Senate's longest-serving member, has developed a serious infection and is being treated in the hospital with antibiotics.

Sen. Robert Byrd (D-W.Va.) is still in the hospital two weeks after he was admitted for a minor infection, and it remains unclear whether the 91-year-old lawmaker will return to work next week. Rumors have circulated around the Capitol over the last 72-hours that the true nature of the Senator's illness is being fully disclosed.

WASHINGTON – Sen. Robert C. Byrd, 91 and the longest-serving senator in history, was hospitalized last Friday with a temperature spike evidently caused by a minor infection, his office announced Monday. Byrd, a West Virginia Democrat, "is being treated with antibiotics, responding well and is expected to be released from the hospital in a few days," the office said in a statement. Byrd has been in Congress since 1952 and was first elected to the Senate six years later.

When Arlen Specter became the 21st senator to switch parties while in office, he did so with considerably more flash than one predecessor. "I basically tried to move about without notice," said former Sen. Harry F. Byrd Jr. of Virginia. Byrd, 94, switched from Democratic registration to independent in 1970. "Colleagues were cordial, but I did my best to avoid everyone." Specter, 79, had little chance of repeating that feat Tuesday. His announcement kicked off a national frenzy of news stories and speculation about what it might mean for Pennsylvania politics, President Obama's agenda, the balance of power in the...

CHARLESTON, W.Va. – The historic Greenbrier resort, which has gone from hosting presidents and royalty to posting losses, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection Thursday and unveiled a plan to sell itself to hotel giant Marriott International Inc. for up to $130 million.

Looks like Sen. Robert Byrd is smoking the competition when it comes to bringing home the bacon. Of the nearly $7.7 billion in earmarks included in the $410 billion omnibus spending bill proposed for next year, no senator was more aggressive than the Democrat from West Virginia. Byrd scored a whopping 60 earmarks for his state at a cost of nearly $123 million, according to Taxpayers for Common Sense, a watchdog group who tallied the earmarks. The Top 20 list features 12 Democrats and eight Republicans. Byrd was nearly eclipsed by Sen. Richard Shelby (R-Ala.), the ranking member of the...

Senator says Obama's naming of "czars" potentially undermines power of the legislative branch. WASHINGTON -- West Virginia's senior senator has some strong words for the President of the United States regarding the checks and balances called for in the Constitution. Senator Robert C. Byrd has sent a letter to President Obama, strongly objecting to the President's recent naming of several so-called "czars" to oversee health reform, climate change issues, and urban affairs. The heads of these new offices will not be subject to Senate confirmation in the same way that Cabinet officers are. Sen. Byrd, who has long been known...

Sen. Robert Byrd (D-W.Va.), the longest serving Democratic senator, is criticizing President Obama’s appointment of White House “czars” to oversee federal policy, saying these executive positions amount to a power grab by the executive branch. In a letter to Obama on Wednesday, Byrd complained about Obama’s decision to create White House offices on health reform, urban affairs policy, and energy and climate change. Byrd said such positions “can threaten the Constitutional system of checks and balances. At the worst, White House staff have taken direction and control of programmatic areas that are the statutory responsibility of Senate-confirmed officials.” While it's...

Sen. Robert Byrd (D-W.Va.), the longest serving Democratic senator, is criticizing President Obama’s appointment of White House “czars” to oversee federal policy, saying these executive positions amount to a power grab by the executive branch. In a letter to Obama on Wednesday, Byrd complained about Obama’s decision to create White House offices on health reform, urban affairs policy, and energy and climate change. Byrd said such positions “can threaten the Constitutional system of checks and balances. At the worst, White House staff have taken direction and control of programmatic areas that are the statutory responsibility of Senate-confirmed officials.”

Geithner still passes confirmation, sworn in Monday WASHINGTON -- West Virginia Senator Robert C Byrd (D-WV) voted against the confirmation of Timothy Geithner's Senate Confirmation for Secretary of Treasury citing the nominee's snafus with his own taxes. Despite the nay votes, Geithner confirmation passed the senate Monday night 60-34 with four not voting. Geithner came under fire earlier this month when it was revealed his 2002 to 2006 taxes were not properly filed. In all Geithner has paid already $25,000 in back taxes with more expected to be paid. Following the vote, Sen. Byrd issued his reason for voting against...

Ted Kennedy was taken out of the Statuary Hall luncheon after suffering an apparent seizure -- a few minutes after Sen. Robert Byrd was removed in his wheelchair under the supervision of medical personnel. Byrd was conscious and had been having trouble eating, according to a witness. Kennedy, who underwent brain cancer surgery last year, was taken to the Rayburn room. A police radio picked up a call for paramedics to help someone stricken with a seizure, according to Politico's Patrick Kennedy.

"Robert Byrd had some sort of seizure and was carried from statuary hall." Chris Wallace

Senate Majority Leader will commend Byrd for service WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The United States Senate will honor the 50 year tenure of United States Senator Robert C. Byrd on Wednesday. Byrd, who is the Senate’s longest serving member, began his Senate service on January 7, 1959. It is expected that the Senate Majority Leader will offer a resolution commending Byrd for his outstanding service to the institution. Senators from both parties are expected to speak on the floor

New Mexico Democratic Gov. Bill Richardson will go before the U.S. Senate in coming weeks as Barack Obama’s nominee for secretary of Commerce. Will Democrats in that chamber remember his performance in 1999 and 2000 as Energy secretary, when secrets disappeared from nuclear laboratories, and one Democratic senator promised to oppose Richardson for any future nomination? In the January of 1999, the U.S. House Select Committee on Intelligence published ... the “Cox Report” -- which found that China had stolen and still was stealing nuclear weapons secrets from the U.S. The committee reported that “the primary focus of this long-term,...

Perhaps Obama offered this to her knowing full well she would never be able to serve? He benefits from the goodwill of appearing to offer her this but will not have the problem of actually allowing her influence? Byrd’s Office Explores Constitutionality of Sen. Clinton Serving as Secretary of State December 04, 2008 By Fred Lucas, Staff Writer CNSNews.com) - The Senate’s senior member and staunchest constitutional advocate on the Democratic side of the aisle, Robert Byrd of West Virginia, is exploring whether Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.) is eligible to become secretary of state in the Obama administration. The question...

Sen. Byrd during a June 21, 2000 Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on then-Energy Secretary Bill Richardson.

Thursday November 20, 2008 It is time for Sen. Byrd to retire His 50 years are long enough HIS friends won't tell him this, so maybe the one guy in West Virginia who is not a fan of Robert C. Byrd should tell him: It is time to retire from the Senate. Fifty years is enough. His is a remarkable story. Byrd's rise from the hardscrabble of Sophia in Raleigh County to being a couple of heartbeats from the presidency is a story that should live on at least in West Virginia lore. After a nice run as Senate Democratic...

Senate legend Robert Byrd, approaching 91 this month and hailing a “new day in Washington,” said he would voluntarily give up the chairmanship of the Senate Appropriations Committee with the new Congress. “To everything there is a season and a time for every purpose under heaven,” said Byrd, who had fended off earlier challenges this past spring and summer. “Those Biblical words from Ecclesiastes 3:1 express my feelings about this particular time in my life. “I have been privileged to be a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee for 50 years and to have chaired the committee for ten years,...

The US Senate's oldest and longest-serving member, Robert Byrd, announced Friday he was stepping down as chairman of the appropriations committee. For the last 10 years, the 90-year-old Democratic dean from West Virginia has headed the committee which helps the government decide how to spend its money. Byrd, re-elected for his ninth Senate term in 2006, has spent nearly 50 years as a committee member and senator, casting a record 18,000 ballots as of last year. "A new day has dawned in Washington, and that is a good thing," Byrd, who endorsed Illinois Senator Barack Obama this year in his...

Now this is change we can believe in. Sen. Robert Byrd (D-West Virginia), the unapologetic king of congressional pork, has been forced out of his position as chairman and chief dispenser of goodies for the Senate Appropriations Committee. The Politico reports Senate legend Robert Byrd, approaching 91 this month and hailing a “new day in Washington,” said he would voluntarily give up the chairmanship of the Senate Appropriations Committee with the new Congress. “To everything there is a season and a time for every purpose under heaven,” said Byrd, who had fended off earlier challenges this past spring and summer....

Charleston -- Senator Byrd's standing in Washington has helped West Virginia secure federal funding for such projects as widening Route 35 in Puntnam County. Now his position as Chairman of the powerful Senate Appropriations Committee is being questioned because of health reasons. Published reports say a move is on by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid to ease Senator Byrd out of that position. "If they do, they are making a big mistake, huge mistake. He's an outstanding man outstanding West Virginian," says Nate Henderson of Huntington. "I don't think you can go on someone's health. As long as they still...

Fake Sarah Palin in the background, campaign follies - Jeanne Moos  

Senate Democratic leaders unveiled their $56 billion economic stimulus package on Thursday, less than an hour before leaving to meet President Bush at the White House to continue the fragile negotiations on the financial rescue bill. Calling it “an economic recovery package that will help middle-class families struggling in the weakening Bush-McCain economy,” Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) and Appropriations Committee Chairman Robert Byrd (D-W.Va.) pitched the plan with the familiar mantra of “not forgetting Main Street.” The plan includes a $7.5 billion down payment on $25 billion in loans for the struggling auto industry. “Democrats believe that we must...