[Libloather]

Rep. Jim McDermott, D-Wash., listens to a reporter's question during a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington in this Sept. 24, 2002 file photo. McDermott says his eight-year dispute with House Majority Leader John Boehner is not personal, but involves a crucial right of the public to know what their leaders are doing.. (AP Photo/Ken Lambert, file)

[Tony O]

If he doesn't appeal, what is the penalty for being guilty?

[CROSSHIGHWAYMAN]

Bums are immune to the law.....

especially white liberal bums!!

[Pikachu_Dad]

$60,000 in damages? How was he damaged?

Talk about running up the bill in legal fees too. What were they writing on, gold paper?

[stylin19a]

Hey.....Baghdad Jim...maybe you can get together with Manuel Miranda and explain to him why,
with you it's the public's right to know
but with him it's about his "intercept".

[jazusamo]

McDermott, as one of America's law makers seems to think he is above the law. Too bad this is only a civil case, Baghdad Jim deserves to do some time behind bars.

[SuziQ]

Rep. Jim McDermott says his eight-year dispute with House Majority Leader John Boehner over an intercepted telephone call is not personal, but involves a crucial right of voters to know what their leaders are doing.

Yuh, sure, you betcha. That's why he has tapes of x42 and Her Heinous planning their strategy, too, right? I mean, wasn't he looking out for us so we'd know what ALL our leaders were doing?

[operation clinton cleanup]

Maybe he should be censured? Didn't he do basically the same thing they are accusing Bush of doing?

[mkjessup]

Throw that traitor in prison! I hear Trafficant is getting lonely for some lovin' these days, Baghdad Jim should fit right in.

Into a two-man cell, of course.

[conservatism_IS_compassion]

"The people have a right to know that,'' McDermott said. "John Boehner says people have no right to know, because it was done in secret.''

Yeah Jim, and the people had the right to know a lot of things during the Clinton years, too. Like who hired Craig Livingstone . . .

But somehow none of that seemed to matter very much to you.

[MozarkDawg]

"The third person in line to be president was plotting a deception on the (House) ethics committee and the American people in private,'' McDermott said, referring to Gingrich, who was heard on a 1996 cell phone call telling House Republicans how to react to ethics charges against him.

This baloney has gone on so long I don't recall the specific *deception* McDermott thinks was being cooked up. My memory is that there was some kind of deal worked out that Gingrich agreed to as part of his punishment (undeserved ... but that's another story), there was some part or other that he wasn't to discuss with anyone? And the fact that he and Boehner were on the phone together, somehow this was to be construed as violation of that agreement? One of you FReepers, I'm sure you can clue me in on the details I'm missing.

I cannot believe McDermott would rack up all these legal fees and waste so much time and energy on an issue where he simply cannot prevail. Caught in a lie his own self, and to sit here and pontificate on the public's right to know when in fact, he breached all ethics his own self.

[HAL9000]

McDermott said the ruling turns constitutional law on its head. "If you accept that logic, Nixon would still be president, Watergate would just be another hotel and domestic spying would still be unknown,'' he said.

There is one big difference: Nixon wiretapped himself. McDermott wiretapped Boehner.

[Chode]

HA ha...
and the RATS take another one in the...

[Libertina]

OK, I'm confused here... I thought illegal wiretaps were bad? LOL

[Lancey Howard]

Wow. That sick scumbag looks like Frankenstein or something.