Feinstein, Boxer squaring off over Rice nomination

[Kadie]

Feinstein, Boxer squaring off over Rice nomination
ERICA WERNER, Associated Press Writer

Friday, January 14, 2005



(01-14) 15:11 PST WASHINGTON (AP) --

The two high-profile women who represent California in the Senate are squaring off over a third -- Condoleezza Rice, the president's nominee to be secretary of state.

Dianne Feinstein, the senior and more moderate of the two Democratic senators, supports Rice and plans to introduce her Tuesday at a confirmation hearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

That's where Barbara Boxer, a member of the committee, will be waiting to accuse Rice of misleading the public over the war in Iraq, which she opposed and Feinstein supported.

"I personally believe that your loyalty to the mission you were given overwhelmed your respect for the truth," Boxer plans to tell Rice, according to prepared remarks released Friday.

more...
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/news/archive/2005/01/14/state1657EST0096.DTL

[JI7]

1. both Senators are popular in California

for a while Dianne Feinstein was much more popular with Boxer having tougher and more competitive elections. but Boxer is now very popular also and easily won re-election last year.

[Webster Green]

85. Feinstein is getting less popular by the minute.....

Everyone I know is fed up with her. She and "Joe-mentum", and "Crazy Zell" should start their own party.

Richardson might want to join up too. Whats his trip?

[davidinalameda]

2. go Barbara!

whoo hoo!

[Kikosexy2]

3. I feel..

Feinstein has "sold-out". Babs--you go girl!

[TankLV]

73. The more I read about frankenstein, the more I abhore her.

And we wonder why Democrats lose elections.

We need a party chairman to crack the whip and bring all these DINO's into line - just like the repukes do.

Only then will we have a party that can be an effective OPPOSITION and begin to regain power.

[thebeaglehaslanded]

4. Go, Barbara!

Feinstein doesn't truly represent her constituents, and it's a shame that we have to have a Repub-lite in the Senate. Thank goodness we are blessed with Senator Boxer.

[rfranklin]

5. Rice is a disgrace to humanity...

What a pathetic piece of shit she is, providing aid and comfort to the Chimp-in-chief.

"Bin Laden determined to attack the United States..."

What part of that don't you understand, you stupid turd?

[bahrbearian]

14. LOL

[wryter2000]

6. DiFi

Lord, I hope that woman is retiring so we can get someone good.

[lazarus]

24. why wait for her to retire?

That's why we have primaries.

[PurityOfEssence]

55. Findspine is a slobbering idiot

She was lucky, as was Rudy Guiliani, to be in the right place in the right time when Moscone and Milk were killed. A child of privilege and a wandering nobody, she's muddled through her public life being somewhat on the correct side of things, but being timid and self-absorbed.

On occasion, she's actually done the right thing, but there's no there there.

Rice should be fought at every turn. The very opportunity of having her under oath is a delicious one: her lies about the lead up to 9-11 and the brutal distortions in sustaining the pre-ordained land grab in the completely unrelated Iraq are more than just tasty.

[Emillereid]

7. I am one Californian who has had it with Feinstein --

after her support for Bush's awful medicare plan, I decided this bitch would never get my support again -- and now her support for Rice just confirms my decision. With democrats like her we don't have a chance! I too hope she never runs again.

[CalProf]

8. I've also had it with her

I live in SF, so I've watched her since she was mayor here. She's always been close to the George Shultz/Cap Weinberger/Bechtel crowd, and this Rice business is just more of the same.

[Cha]

10. What good is di feinestein as a

Dem? I don't history is going to treat her kindly..supporting the garbage she does.

[Neecy]

22. a disgrace from the start...

I remember her well from her days as mayor of San Francisco as well, and Dianne never met a developer she didn't like. A wannabe socialite and a Friend of Business.

She got to where she is because of one event - the murder of Moscone, not because of her charms. She's an old race horse who needs to be retired.

Boxer, on the other hand, is one tough chick and my personal hero, and has been since her days in the House.

[montana_hazeleyes]

30. I am so disappointed

in her. I admired her in the beginning but no more. I can't believe how some democrats like her don't just admit they're really repubs.

[Barkley]

69. DiFi owes us an explanation

Why did she vote for the IWR when so many of her constituents were against it?

She got thousands of emails telling her not to vote for the IWR and she voted against the clear intent of her constituents.

Why?

And now that we all know that Iraq posed no military threat to the US she's asking that more troops be sent to Iraq to die and more of OUR money be wasted on killing Iraq people.

[Neecy]

74. good question

I wrote her office prior to the vote, as I'm sure many thousands of other registered voters in California did, begging her to vote against the IWR. I got back a letter from her lecturing me about the 'threat' Saddam's WMD were to the United States.

Gee, I wonder why she hasn't written us again to apologize for being SO wrong (as we all knew at the time...) I'd like to cram her letter where the sun doesn't shine.

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

20. It's a fantasy that probably wouldn't turn out..but I wish Sheila Kuehl

would run

[yorkiemommie1]

29. sheila has spunk

she'd be great!

[calimary]

76. I'd vote for Shelia Kuehl in a heartbeat. What a gal! FAR better than DiFi

whom I've called, emailed, petitioned, even gone to her office here in West L.A. when MoveOn set up this "visit-your-reps day" to present anti-war petitions. DAMN but she's pig-headed. WHAT a disappointment!

[Comicstripper]

50. The more I read about Feinstein:

The less I like.
Like the entire San Fransisco/ Harvey Milk thing. She seized a political opportunity, and as a result of the schism, her political ally killed two.
Boxer seems to be prepping for a presidential run. I think that she is meant to be for Hillary Clinton what Mosely-Braun was for Al Sharpton. An alternative. No one, not even the DLC, wants Clinton to run, except Clinton. She's being posed as an alternative female candidate. Not by the DLC(who were at least publically disgusted by her challenge of the Ohio votes), but by Barbara Boxer.

[w4rma]

81. I don't think it's so complecated. I think Boxer just cares more about our

country and is willing to work harder for our country than Feinstein. They say Feinstein is the moderate one, but Feinstein is radical on gun control where as Boxer is moderate on gun control.

[HuckleB]

9. What is wrong with Feinstein?

If she can't recognize the type of blatant incompetence and dishonesty on display with Rice, when would she recognize it?

SHEESH!

[GreenArrow]

11. Feinswine's only allegiance

is to the moneyed classes. She's status quo, all the way, and a real drag.

[NV Whino]

12. Feinstein is toast as far as I'm concerned

I'm hoping Barbara Lee will run against her next time. Or, that she simply steps aside and doesn't run at all. Time for another e-mail to DiFi.

edit: spelling... again.

[yorkiemommie1]

16. i'm going to email both too n/t

[LibDemAlways]

13. Feinstein has become an

embarrassment and a disgrace. Introduce Rice? She should be leading the opposition. I hope a real Dem steps up to the plate to oppose her in the 06 primary. She won't know what hit her.

[mojavekid]

15. Sen. Feinstein = Democrat Inc.

I agree, her going along with the Medicare Deform bill was the last straw. Nice to have Sen. Boxer to highlight the differences between the two. I mean, It's not like Sen. Boxer creamed her opponent in the last election or anything...

[thebeaglehaslanded]

17. Sen. Boxer was the third highest vote getter in the last election--

following Chimpy and and the Vice Chimp. She's a winner.

[mojavekid]

23. That was my feeble attempt at sarcasm...!

Sen. Boxer proves you can stand on principle and still be a winner.








- edited to mention: There is a Beagle in the studio...RIGHT NOW!

[Barkley]

70. Barbara Lee and C. McKinney prove your point as well

and Tom Daschle got defeated.

and DiFi is next.

[mojavekid]

80. I hope so...

And I like Barbara Lee! would she run against DIFI?

[bahrbearian]

18. So Feinstein decided to leave the Opposition Party

and become an Master of Ceremonies for Chimpy. Didn't she use to date Lieberman?

[intheflow]

37. LOL! n/t

[saltpoint]

19. I'd type this faster but --

-- I'm busy applauding Senator Boxer.

[Sandpiper]

21. Feinstein = War Profiteer

Considering her hubby's been making lots of blood money from the Iraq war, small wonder she sides with the war mongers.

[autorank]

45. Give me some links, if you don't mind or some info so I can find

some. I'd like to spread this around. I wondered what happened to her. Now it appears there is an obvious answer.

[JohnOneillsMemory]

49. Husband is Richard Blum of Perini Corporation. Here ya go.

http://www.corpwatch.org/article.php?id=8910

"Perini Corporation, working in Iraq and Afghanistan on contracts worth up to $525 million, is owned by a group of investors that includes Richard Blum, husband of Sen. Dianne Feinstein, a Democrat from California who serves on the Appropriations Committee and the Select Committee on Intelligence."

And puh-lenty more links using the evil search engine starting with a 'G'...
http://www.google.com/search?q=Feinstein+husband+Homeland+security+contracts&sourceid=mozilla-search&start=0&start=0&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official

[autorank]

56. Thanks so much! Great, great username!

[JohnOneillsMemory]

57. Thanks. During the campaign I had to remind it was FBI, not SBVFT O'Neill.

FBI Deputy Director John O'Neill hunted bin Laden relentlessly and was stymied by, as he told French journalists, US oil interests in Saudi Arabia which prevented him from succeeding.

He said that every path led to the Bush family's personal friends and business partners, the Saudi royal family. So he couldn't succeed.

Frustrated and intentionally discredited against promotion at the FBI (for the above reason) by having his briefcase taken for a short period of time at an FBI conference he didn't want to attend, he took an early retirement as Head of Security at the WTC where he died on 9/11.

William Pitt wrote an essay called 'Hell to Pay' that layed out the whole 'Pipelineistan' scenario of our security sublimated to oil wars and profits for the Bushes.

I believe in sharing information rather than slogans because we've got a big learning curve for the masses ahead of us if we're gonna make it.

Hey-I'm Bay area, too. Cheers!

[autorank]

77. "big learning curve for the masses" is right

I'm ex-CA now in Northern Virginia. Since the Raiders are "America's Team", I pull for them where ever I might be. Keep up the good work and I'm trying to do my share on the learning curve. Oh, what? You'd like to see my slides of the rally in DC (both sets, a bargain).

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=203&topic_id=272275

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=203&topic_id=255393

[Wilms]

58. Here's a SFGate article

War brings business to Feinstein spouse

Blum's firms win multimillion-dollar defense contracts in Iraq, Afghanistan

<http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2003/04/27/BA284459.DTL>

[shanti]

86. as i suspected

she's sold out and is unusable to her constituency anymore....pity. she needs the heave ho.

[hootinholler]

25. My dumb question is...

Will Rice be under oath?

That would be sweet.

-Hoot

[Supersedeas]

65. somewhere in the bowels of the Administration, maybe someone can say

and someone will testify on her behalf, under oath.

Eat your own Feinstein.

[lovuian]

26. Fienstein is exactly like Liberman ...Republicans in Democrat

clothes!!!

[xray s]

27. The difference between Democrats and Republicans

If Al Gore was elected in 2000 and Condi Rice was his National Security Adviser and Al Gore did EXACTLY the same thing Bush did leading up to 9/11 and after, do you think for one second any Republican would make nice and introduce Rice as a nominee for Secretary of State?

HELL NO! THEY WOULD BE INTRODUCING ARTICLES OF IMPEACHMENT!!!

WAKE UP!!!

[barb162]

39. you got that straight

[lazarus]

28. just spent

20 minutes unloading on some poor woman in Feinstein's San Diego office. She finished with over half a page of notes she'll be passing on.

[Name removed]

31. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[donheld]

32. I side with Boxer

Rice should be more than questioned over misleading the nation on many things.

[DownNotOut]

33. Listening to those 2

fight would be like nails on a blackboard. Glad to not have to hear it....


DownNotOut

[hollowdweller]

34. If Condi was a democrat and NS adviser during 9/11 how many Repubs would

vote for her? NONE. She failed to protect us. She should have been fired for not putting armed guards on planes after they knew Bin Laden planned to use them.

[Supersedeas]

66. Record of Failure means nothing to Rovian Bushists

[oasis]

83. Condi failed the nation on her failure to prevent the9/11 attacks. She

was a dunce on "conecting the dots". She should hold no position of national security.

[Maat]

35. Go, Barbara! Go, Barbara!

She's my rep.! I've been proud of her for so long! I was most proud of her courageous stance on Jan. 6th!

Rice has been the worst national security advisor this country has ever had, IMHO.

DiFi doing this is the last straw! I'll support anyone else in the primaries!

[Big_Mike]

64. Well, I'd vote for her as 2nd worst

I remember Adm. Poindexter...

Condi can't hold a candle to that guy.

[Maat]

75. You have a point.

What choices! Where do we keep going so wrong?

[Massachusetts]

36. Go Barbara!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[AlCzervik]

38. As a Californian, I'm happy to have Boxer and will be glad

when Feinstein retires.

[alexisfree]

40. Dianne Feinstein is a Republican in Disguise who only is after herself

When that crow comes up for re-election we will vote for someone else she is a dissapointment to everyone

[Southsideirish]

42. She is an embarrassment. How does she ever get re-elected?

She even LOOKS like a helmet head republican DAR type.

[roguevalley]

41. my money's on boxer. In a corner stood a boxer and a fighter

by her trade ...

[il_lilac]

43. sign Boxer's petition!

http://ga4.org/campaign/ricehearings/

[4democracy]

48. Sorry,I was trying to link to the petition and didn't see your post

[NYC]

52. Signed.

Thank you.

[sfbrent]

61. Signed! 14k and counting...

Let's get it over 20,000

http://www.pacforachange.com/petition

[ally_sc]

68. thks for the link eom

[autorank]

44. RESIGN FEINSTEIN, YOU ARE A USELESS PERSON!!!

This woman is an embarrassment. She is NOT a Democrat. She should be ashamed. What is her deal. :puke:

Here is my letter to the "moran"
------------------------------------------------------------
Dear Senator Feinstein:

I am a native Californian now living back East. I am also an active Democrat since 2004. I just saw that you are endorsing Condi Rice and actually introducing her to the Foreign Affairs Committee.

This is stunning. Rice is a total partisan and she is clearly negligent in her actions before 911.

Why are you doing this? Why do you even stay in the Democratic Party?

Your vote for the initial Bush tax cut helped put us on the road to financial ruin. Now you are endorsing a Secretary of State nominee who will ruin the country in foreign affairs.

Amazing! What happened?

[yorgatron]

46. FUCK YOU FEINSTEIN!!!

:mad::mad::mad:

[autorank]

53. Hey yorgatron!

:yourock:

[98geoduck]

59. WTFeinstein!!!

[cascadiance]

71. Feinstein being "less of a Democrat" isn't anything new...

She's in the past been on the "other side" when it comes to censoring the internet:

1. Sided with Orrin Hatch to empower any U.S. or State Attorney General with installation of Carnivore email surveillance system:

http://privacy.surferbeware.com/privacy-threatened.htm

2. Introduced a bill to have "SmartVisa" cards to all non-citizens entering the country that would allow more tracking of them.

http://www.epic.org/alert/EPIC_Alert_8.22.html

3. Supported a wiretapping ammendment along with a bunch of Republicans

http://www.chiark.greenend.org.uk/pipermail/ukcrypto/2001-September/017513.html

4. Co-sponsored the "victim's right ammendment" along with Republicans to have speedy trials that met objections from civil libertarians.

http://talkleft.com/new_archives/002922.html

5. Codified ways to legitimize use of Social Security Numbers instead of curbing them.

http://bilisimsurasi.org.tr/listeler/tbs-hukuk/May/0024.html

6. A general overview of why she's not been a good democrat when looking at high tech issues:

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/1998/02/19/BU48718.DTL

7. She was a strong and vocal supporter of the Communications Decency Act that looked to censor the internet.

I and a record number of voters had a reason to break ranks from voting Democrat and supporting Medea Benjamin and the Greens in her last election. She wasn't much more progressive than Tom Campbell, her Republican opponent then.

http://www.tcgreens.org/gl/articles/20010615052138313.html

[Tinoire]

84. I hate to tell you this but she could care less

I saved the "kiss my ass" letter she sent me in response to my protest of the war. NEVER, EVER again will I vote for that DINO.

[4democracy]

47. Boxer has a petition to support her questioning of Rice

http://ga4.org/campaign/ricehearings?rk=5p1Fmrs1jBQfW

HOLD CONDOLEEZZA RICE ACCOUNTABLE!

---------------------------------------------------------------------

Join 13,637 Americans and sign this petition!


---------------------------------------------------------------------

On Tuesday, January 18th and Wednesday, January 19th, National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice will appear before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in a confirmation hearing for her appointment as Secretary of State.

Dr. Rice's confirmation hearing must not be a rubber stamp of President Bush's appointment. The Senate must take its "advice and consent" role seriously.

That's why, as a member of the Foreign Relations Committee, I intend to stand up and ask Condoleezza Rice the tough questions that Americans deserve to have answered. Questions like:

Why did the United States go to war in Iraq based on misleading -- if not false and fraudulent -- evidence?


Why did we divert valuable resources and intelligence personnel to Iraq, taking them away from Afghanistan and the pursuit of Osama bin Laden?


Why did you mislead the American people into thinking there was a connection between Saddam Hussein and Al Qaida before September 11th?

We must hold Condoleezza Rice accountable for her misleading statements leading up to the Iraq war and beyond before we can even consider promoting her to Secretary of State.

So I ask you to join with me: Lend your voice to the chorus of millions of Americans across our great land who are demanding that Condoleezza Rice tell the truth about Iraq, weapons of mass destruction, the search for Osama bin Laden, the fight against Al Qaida, and the war on terrorism.

I urge you to sign my petition below, so I can take your voice with me to the committee room and the floor of the Senate in the pursuit of the truth from Condoleezza Rice.

Sincerely,



Barbara Boxer
U.S. Senator

[Vidar]

51. Knock her dead ladies.

[feistydem]

54. Here in Colorado we had our first look at our new Democratic Senator

Ken Salazar... and many of us cringed when he introduced and endorsed Gonzales for Atty Gen'l.

Democrats aren't all cut from the cloth of integrity.

[Nothing Without Hope]

60. Nobody with a shred of integrity could possibly support Rice

It's pure B* butt-kissing all the way. What a disgrace.

As for Sen. Boxer, she is so much the opposite: ""I personally believe that your loyalty to the mission you were given overwhelmed your respect for the truth," Boxer plans to tell Rice, according to prepared remarks released Friday. "
So true! And Feinstein knows it too and doesn't give a damn. Her priorities don't include personal integrity or the good of the country.

If there is anyone left who still had some doubts about where Feinstein really stands, this should make it all too clear.

Appalling.

[depakid]

62. Who EVER said Feinstein has a shred of integrity?

I doubt you'll find many Californians who think so....

[ausiedownunderground]

63. GO Barbara Boxer! - Is that really her name?

Where in "Democratic" world did you produce someone to take on "The Bush Gang"!!! This Boxer women needs all the support she can get!! She'd win our election if she stood!! You Democrats need to get behind this women and give it to Condi between the eyes!! Oh, could this Boxer women please ask Condi if she is in fact "Jewish" so it would put a big "internets" rumour to bed!

[Starkraven]

67. signed.

I am so grateful for Barbara Boxer's courage!!!

[Zhade]

72. Feinstein's husband owns weapons contractor stock. She voted for the war.

You do the math.

Man, I can't WAIT to replace Feinstein with a liberal. progressive Senator.

[stackhouse]

78. i smell a catfight

sounds like if true ...sen. boxer needs to have a little rap session with sen. Feinstein....... boxer rapping Feinstein and Feinstein rapping the floor...senators Feinstein, clinton and many others owes boxer big time...

so many democrate backstabers.....

[drscm]

79. Obviously Boxer did not listen to *bush. No one is accountable

for the mess in Iraq. The 'murican people said so in the last election. So please leave Sleezy alone.

[sophie996]

82. boxer's a credit

to short people everywhere!

:toast: :toast: