Republican Congressman Breaks Ranks, Joins Demand for Documents on DSM!

[Griffy]

"Congressman Jim Leach (R, Iowa) has informed Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D, California) that he will co-sponsor her Resolution of Inquiry into Bush Administration communications with the U.K. about Iraq at the time of the Downing Street Memos. Leach is the first Republican member of Congress to publicly support a demand for an inquiry into the Bush Administration's pre-war claims. The 131 congress members who have signed Congressman John Conyers' letter to the President about the Downing Street Memo are all Democrats. The 11 Senators who have asked the Senate Intelligence Committee to do the investigation it committed to in February 2004 but never did are all Democrats.

The Resolution, H. Res. 375, is a privileged resolution which must be brought to a vote in the House International Relations Committee by September 16th, or Lee is permitted to demand a vote of the full House. Fifty-two Democrats, including Lee, have co-sponsored the Resolution. Leach is the first Republican to join them, and he is a member of the International Relations Committee.. "

http://www.politicalaffairs.net/article/articleview/1719/1/32/

...for those catching up to congressional procedures, a resolution of inquiry is the 1st step in impeachment. The resolution provides for investigation needed to draft the articles of impeachment, which would then be voted on...

[knowbody0]

1. good news, Griffy

yahoo

[Griffy]

58. Thanks.. seems many agree.. A few thank you emails to his office

would be a good idea.. let him know we are watching and approve. Just thank him for standing up for the truth and accountability!

.. and dont forget to support with Conyers...

[maddezmom]

2. kick and thanks for catching me up

:)

[regnaD kciN]

3. A Republican with a conscience? Amazing!

:yourock:

[TechBear_Seattle]

52. Maybe not a conscience, but...

He can tell which way the wind is blowing. As Shrub's numbers make like the Titanic, I think we will see more and more Republicans jumping ship.

[Supersedeas]

73. Slowly, they are beginning to hear from the 'constituency'

[classysassy]

85. "The ship of fools"

all nutty rethugs that can't swim,you need to bail out post haste.

[AtomicKitten]

56. OMG, can they exist in the same plane of consciousness?

Unbelievable, almost. Perhaps this is the crack in the dam we've been waiting for. Now if we could just get a Democrat to starting poking the crack with a stick.

[Trevelyan]

78. Congress seems to have come up with this cool new thing

to involve voters.

I've been receiving letters in response to my petitions and emails esp. from Sen. Mikulski is to send her a question that I would like her to ask to Roberts.

Then I received an email from Kennedy stating that soon will be able to send Congress citizens' questions for Senators to ask the questionable bush nominees.

This way the Bush Regime can't claim that it is the 'obstructionist' Democrats pushing for information they need for a life-time Supreme Court nominee.

~~~~~~~~~~~

Over the last two weeks you have shown what can be done when Democratic activists work together.

It's a powerful force that many Democrats -- and Republicans -- are beginning to notice.

Just last week alone, you raised over $30,000 for Senator Byrd. That much-needed boost catapulted Senator Byrd's campaign past its $55,000 goal -- and even exceeded the amount his opponents have spent working against him.

You gave Senator Byrd the ability to respond to his attackers.

As we continue to exercise our power together, the TedKennedy.com community will reach out to more Americans who stand for the same values we do.

And there hasn't been a more important time to grow than right now.

Senator Kennedy and his fellow Democrats in the Senate are going to need your help. Over the next six weeks, we will make sure that John Roberts answers the questions that Americans ask -- not just the ones the Bush Administration wants to hear.

No matter their Party, Americans deserve a full and fair hearing -- not a rubber stamp approval.

Later this week, you will have the opportunity to raise the questions you want answered. And with the collective power of this community -- the same power that came to Senator Byrd's defense--we will make sure they are heard.

It's time that the Senate listens to the people they represent -- not the special interests or radical ideologues that selfishly undermine our democracy.

You are doing an invaluable service to the United States Senate through your support of Senator Kennedy. Thank you.

Now, let's keep up the fight--together.

Sincerely,

Marty Walsh

P.S. - Now is the time to join. Take a moment and invite your friends and family to join us: http://www.tedkennedy.com/invite

~~~~~~~~~~
Please visit - www.thehungersite.com - click to give free food

:-)

[joeunderdog]

4. Great news. Nowadays, a truthseeking Repuke is a maverick.

But...it may take a maverick or two before other Repuke politicians might start thinking with their own heads again. Even the Dems went thru this. It was only a couple of brave souls speaking out against the war at all until it got comfortable for the rest of them to step up and speak their conscience. Let's hope that some of the Pukes actually have a conscience to appeal to. It wasn't THAT long ago that they had a few in their party that tried to do the right thing, even if it was philosophically different than the libs. Now they just follow the leader.

[CountAllVotes]

5. Congressman Jim Leach thank you

:woohoo: you've got some balls! Thank you! :woohoo:

:kick:

[myrna minx]

6. Thank you for this information.

:popcorn:

[Neocondriac]

7. Great news....

I now fear for he and his family's well being.

[whistle]

8. So how does the House stand on total votes to demand DSM...

...documents I wonder and does BushCo have something over most republican congressmen so they won't dare switch? I would think that most republicans see the noose tightening around BushCo's neck and would like nothing better than to bail out ASAP.

[otohara]

9. Pigs Are Flying

well, it's a start

[Cha]

29. Yeah, Pink Floyd got

back together for Live 8!

[WillyT]

82. Yes... They Are !!!

http://www.junk-headz.com/images/p5++.jpg

:woohoo::bounce::woohoo:

[hvn_nbr_2]

10. Drip, drip, drip... n/t

[Trevelyan]

80. Please write, or email or call Senator John Kerry

and request that he NOT withdraw from the lawsuit against the obstruction of the recount in Ohio. The deadline for Kerry to sign is August 30, 2005. This is very important to Rep. Conyers and I think we should try to help him when he asks.

You can access Sen. Kerry at his website by typing his name into Search Engine. Congress.org will publish your Letters to Leaders on the screen almost immediately so you don't feel that they disappear down a rabbit hole.

PLEASE go to ConyersBlog.com to read about the ACTION ITEMS he provides and requests about Cindy in Crawford, writing letters, signing his letter and VERY IMPORTANT - THAT RAT JOHN KERRY IS ABOUT TO WITHDRAW FROM THE SUIT AGAINST OHIO'S OBSTRUCTION OF THE VOTERS IN
THE 2004 PRESIDENTIAL "ELECTION" AND THIS SUIT IS AGAINST THE OBSTRUCTION OF A FAIR RECOUNT.

Anyone who kept up with the daily reports on The Green Party Recount site and Rep. Conyers' brave informal hearings since as a member of the minority party does not have subpoena power and the Republican Chairman Sensenbrenner would not let him hold formal Hearings on Ohio and made him use a basement for the Downing Street Memos hearings also covered by C-SPAN and which featured Cindy Sheehan's testimony about her son's death and introduced Cindy's activism to a wider audience.

People worked their hearts out for Kerry and to have a real President both before the "election" and after in the months long investigation into the Election Fraud in Ohio and Ken Blackwell and others are now in big trouble for suppressing the vote in Ohio for a very long time. And may get away with it if Kerry does not sign by Aug. 30.

[JanusAscending]

88. PRESIDENT KERRY

My dear Sir or Madam, seeing that you are also a new member to DU, someone needs to tell you that we on DU don't ATTACK and try not to "badmouth" each other, and,.....I wish you would refrain from the namecalling of our LEADERS IN THE SENATE, especially John Kerry who for all intents and purposes was LEGALLY ELECTED to the office of President!!!! He is still diligently working for us behind the scenes, as he promised, to "have our backs"!!! I have nothing but ADMIRATION for Rep Conyers. I've signed all his petitions, and I requested Sen Kerry to stay the fight by "personal" email twice already. What he does about it is up to him. Who knows better? He and his attorneys ( who by the way think that this particular part of the case in Ohio is going to be very hard to prove, and if they lose the case, or it's thrown out, they WILL NOT BE ABLE TO ADDRESS IT AGAIN!!!!) Sort of like "double jeopardy. So,. I would suggest that if you feel the need to attack anyone, please keep the "FREEPERS" and bushco in mind!! Thank you, from a very UPSET KERRY SUPPORTER! We LOVE to debate each other on DU, and sometimes when we need to "VENT" we go to our special folders and vent among each other!! Your post was a personal attack and affront to John Kerry and I for one, even tho' I'm a "newbee" to DU also, will not hesitate to click on the ALERT button next time I see a post like this, from anyone!:think:

[Le Taz Hot]

89. My dear sir or madam

I've been here a helluva lot longer than you have and have been heavily involved in politics for a good 35 year. Being new to DU has NOTHING to do with being new to politics. ANY poster has the right to criticize any Dem he or she wishes. If you can't stand the heat maybe you need to think about getting into something other than politics. THOUSANDS of us on this board can't stand Kerry and never could for reasons too numerous to name.

My advice to you, "sir or madam" is to butch up or find hobby. Might I suggest puppetry.

[JanusAscending]

90. Le Taz Hot

If you would have checked my profile, you'd have seen that I am indeed a female! I'm 66 yrs young and have been in politics many more than 35 years my dear! My first election at age 18 ,was for John Kennedy, and my father was a State Rep. from Ct. I am on the Dem. Town Committee in my community, and I have learned this, over all the many years of my involvement in politics, WE DON'T ATTACK OUR OWN!! When you divide, it's easier to be conquered!! I wasn't attacking the previous writer, nor am I attacking you, but I think WE ALL NEED TO THINK BEFORE WE BADMOUTH ANYONE OTHER THAN THE ENEMY!! Thank you for your warm welcome to DU from a true Democrat with over 1000 posts on these boards. "Puppettry"?!!!! Don't make me laugh!! Your letter was very condescending and insulting!! I really do have a mind of my own. You all can go ahead and write whatever you want on these boards, but I CHOOSE TO BE A LITTLE MORE FAIR, and I will no longer back down from a fight when someone throws down the gauntlet!! I stongly disagree with you, and you will see that this Grandmother of 13, with two grandchildren is the service at this time, HAS A SET OF BALLS!!

[Wickerman]

11. Leach is old school

never much liked him, but he has, apparently taken enough from the neo-cons and knows its time to step back from the abyss.

[Arkansas Democrat]

14. It's really happening!

The rats are jumping ship!! :)

[Zan_of_Texas]

41. Well, either that or....

Maybe Iowa's voting systems are honest enough that it gives a real representative of the people a chance to be in office (note how many AREN'T signing the document....hmmmmmm).

[rosesaylavee]

74. Went to school in Iowa

and not sure if this still stands true but it was once considered the most literate state as it had the most college educated population of any state in the nation.

This to me translates to - they still think for themselves there.

[Sanity Claws]

12. Great!

Don't you think Hagel might join in now, too?

[JanusAscending]

34. Hagel

YES! Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't he the one who said if the BRAC commision closes Ellsworth Airbase, that he would get even? I might have it mixed up because there's soooooooo much going on right now I can't keep track!! If I'm right, yeehaaa!!! (and I'm not even a Texan!):woohoo: :applause:

[Sanity Claws]

35. Maybe

I was thinking of him because on Sunday he called for withdrawal from Iraq.

[JanusAscending]

87. It's not Hagel!! It's THUNE !!!!!!

The "golden boy" Bushco backed to beat our beloved Tom Daschel!! I saw Thune on TV this AM in regard to the base closings, and HE IS PISSED!!! because Bush promised him that Ellsworth Air base wouldn't be on the base closure list, if Thune "towed the line"!! Well, as usual, the "chimp" doublecrossed him the same way he's doublecrossed the WORLD!! Let's pray that Thune is pissed enough to PAY TH NEOCONS BACK!!!:bounce: P.S. I've been watching the base closure hearings live on CSPAN, and isn't it strange that they are saving Ellsworth for LAST in the Airforce chain?????????

[Daphne08]

13. Great news!

:)

[meganmonkey]

15. One step closer

baby steps :)

[stevedeshazer]

16. When a door opens, someone must be the first to enter.

May he not be the last.

[renate]

17. to the "greatest" page with a bullet

Boy, this piece of news shot up the charts!

Jim Leach,
:yourock:

[sabra]

18. holy cow!

the tide seems to be turning.

[wli]

19. nah, it's just a neonazi ploy to rotate leaders out and continue

Old, old, old story. Blame it all on the leader, set up a new figurehead, continue going about the bad things. It happened with Vietnam, the War on Drugs, Iran-Contra, and now it's happening with this.

[Sgent]

20. You could see

Trent Lott jump -- also given he's old school and recently has been tearing a new one to Bush and Congressional R's.

If he jumps, watch out for Thad Cochran (MS). Thad was the Senate Armed Service Committee Chair up until this term (term limits).

Either one of these would be a huge blow to *.

[0007]

40. Lott has a personal vendetta with Frist for back stabbing him

and junior for backing up Frist.

[rrrevolution]

81. Lott v. Frist -- Maybe they will throw the dirt each has on the other

Don't you love it when ideologues break ranks with one another and start revealing the corruption of each other?

Maybe this will result in Repubs "choosing sides" between Lott and Frist -- what we need is a good old fashioned air-clearing fight
between Repubs to get some of the truth out.

As a Repub recently said, "Bring it on"!!!!!!

[LaurenG]

21. We need to thank him and ask our Democrats

where the hell their balls went. :shrug:

[madokie]

22. You would think

So there's no investigation in either the House or Senate. Don't the republicans realize that they won't be in the majority for ever. Some of them surely will still be here when that happens. There will then be investigations and these republicans will be found in obstruction. For most members in both houses that would be worst than doing the investigations that should be done now. You would think.

[mmonk]

23. It's high time

elected officials who have a clue about what is going on think about what's best for this country.

[iconoclastic cat]

24. Thanks, Jim. We're still driving you out on a rail in 2006, but thanks.

[snot]

25. Yee-hahhh!!! nt

[Booster]

26. Well, I'll be damned. A real Republican conservative FINALLY

puts the country before his party. Good for him, and may he open the flood gates for others to follow. Thank you, Mr. Leach.

[pauldavid]

27. with each poll where bush is at less then 40% approval

You will see more and more republicans doing this kind of thing

[bribri16]

28. BRING IT ON!!!!!!!!!!! n/t

[geckosfeet]

30. Keep them doggies rolling!! n/t

[OhioBlue]

31. Good for him.

With *'s approval so low and with Congress taking the month of August off and most visiting and holding meetings in their home districts, hopefully they are seeing the public opinion and the lack of "mandate". Maybe this will bring more of them back to the real world and start working for the Country based on core priciples rather than follow the leader.

[donkeyotay]

32. Thanks for this

from the OP:

The International Relations Committee has 27 Republican members and 23 Democratic members. Thus far 10 of the Democrats have co-sponsored the Resolution. If the other 13 vote for it as well, then along with Leach, one more Republican vote will be needed for a tie, or two more for passage.

Leach has questioned Bush's war policies for years and was one of five Republicans in May to vote for Congresswoman Lynn Woolsey's amendment requiring an exit strategy. Another of those five, Congressman Ron Paul of Texas, also serves on the International Relations Committee.

[Al-CIAda]

49. I have to think that's another R vote 'for' too. nt

[Jackpine Radical]

57. Yeah--Ron Paul might do it.

He drinks a different flavor of Kool Aid than the other Pugs.

[leftchick]

33. Is he up for re-election?

Or am I seeing a real honest repuke here?

[Judi Lynn]

36. Tremendous news. Thanks. n/t

[cal04]

37. Some history on Jim Leach

1969-1970 Special Assistant to Donald Rumsfeld, Director of the Office of Economic Opportunity
1968-1969 Foreign Service Officer, Department of State
1965-1966 Staff, Congressman Donald Rumsfeld

http://www.jimleach.com/index.asp?Type=B_BASIC&SEC={A1660A7A-E621-4B37-B444-68838A70AF4B}&DE={6F148A4B-4261-48C1-B8DB-8F71AA02C7F7}

Leach is consistently one of the most liberal Republicans in the House and is the subject of frequent rumors of becoming a Democrat in the future. He voted against the 2002 Iraq War Resolution and favors abortion rights and civil unions for homosexuals. His district is considered Iowa's most Democratic district and became even more Democratic after redistricting in 2000. His hometown of Davenport was moved to Jim Nussle's district, forcing Leach to move to Iowa City. He faced his closest contest ever, winning by only four percentage points

[Roland99]

43. He worked for Rumsfeld and is now signing on to this? Sounds big to me.

[3waygeek]

44. I met Leach back in the early 70s

when he was first running for Congress -- he made an appearance at my grade school in the suburbs of Davenport.

[Nothing Without Hope]

38. This is excellent news. Recommended. n/t

[deacon]

39. The first GOP member of congress to smell the 2006 mid terms n/t

[Hailtothechimp]

42. The dam really has burst. Leach is trying to save his skin.

The "throw them all out" tide in 2006 will be a powerful one. Leach is smart enough to know this.

[mom cat]

45. Getting nervous about 2006 now are we?

:nopity:

[Donailin]

46. So who else do we need to pressure to have the amount needed

for this inquiry to get going?

[Robeson]

47. Hey Bush...How's that vacation going?....

...

[Mr_Jefferson_24]

84. It was going fine...

...until he ran into the "Hard Facts"

http://www.karlandkinggeorge.com/The_Hard_Facts.html

[OzarkDem]

48. Dems who have co-sponsored the resolution

If a Republican is willing to sign, why not all the Dems in the House? Maybe we should give a call to the ones NOT on this list, like Rep. Pelosi for starters.

Rep Baldwin, Tammy - 7/21/2005
Rep Brown, Sherrod - 7/27/2005
Rep Clay, Wm. Lacy - 7/21/2005
Rep Conyers, John, Jr. - 7/21/2005
Rep Crowley, Joseph - 7/27/2005
Rep Cummings, Elijah E. - 8/19/2005
Rep Davis, Danny K. - 7/21/2005
Rep DeFazio, Peter – 8/5/2005
Rep Delahunt, William D. - 7/21/2005
Rep Evans, Lane - 7/21/2005
Rep Farr, Sam - 7/21/2005
Rep Filner, Bob - 8/19/2005
Rep Frank, Barney - 8/19/2005
Rep Grijalva, Raul M. - 7/21/2005
Rep Gutierrez, Luis V. - 7/21/2005
Rep Hinchey, Maurice D. - 7/21/2005
Rep Holt, Rush D. - 8/19/2005
Rep Honda, Michael M. - 7/28/2005
Rep Israel, Steve - 7/29/2005
Rep Jackson-Lee, Sheila - 7/21/2005
Rep Jones, Stephanie Tubbs - 7/25/2005
Rep Kaptur, Marcy - 7/28/2005
Rep Kilpatrick, Carolyn C. - 7/21/2005
Rep Kucinich, Dennis J. - 7/21/2005
Rep Leach, James A. - 8/23/2005
Rep Lewis, John - 7/29/2005
Rep Maloney, Carolyn - 7/29/2005
Rep Meeks, Gregory W. - 8/19/2005
Rep McDermott, Jim - 7/21/2005
Rep McGovern, James P. - 8/9/2005
Rep Miller, George - 7/28/2005
Rep Oberstar, James L. - 7/21/2005
Rep Olver, John W. - 7/26/2005
Rep Owens, Major R. - 7/21/2005
Rep Pallone, Frank, Jr. - 7/21/2005
Rep Payne, Donald M. - 7/21/2005
Rep Rangel, Charles B. - 7/21/2005
Rep Sanders, Bernard - 7/25/2005
Rep Schakowsky, Janice D. - 7/21/2005
Rep Serrano, Jose E. - 7/21/2005
Rep Sherman, Brad - 8/23/2005
Rep Smith, Adam - 8/3/2005
Rep Stark, Fortney Pete - 7/21/2005
Rep Thompson, Bennie G. - 7/21/2005
Rep Towns, Edolphus - 7/27/2005
Rep Van Hollen, Chris - 8/9/2005
Rep Waters, Maxine - 7/22/2005
Rep Watson, Diane E. - 7/21/2005
Rep Wexler, Robert - 7/21/2005
Rep Woolsey, Lynn C. - 7/21/2005
Rep Wu, David - 7/27/2005
Rep Wynn, Albert Russell - 8/22/2005

[indepat]

50. Who the hell does Rep. Leach think he is? The very idea

[lovuian]

51. If Republicans were samart they would jump ship but they

never have been smart!!!

[IowaGuy]

53. Leach is fighting for his life....don't get carried away lauding him

his district is the most liberal in Iowa...(ok, that's not real extreme...but)....this is one of his getting to be fabled "principled positions" in which he goes against his party, yet there is no real danger of hurting his party. He votes strictly along party lines most of the time and then occasionally cherry picks an issue to take an opposing view (to his party) that will make him seem more liberal than he really is.

As republicans go, he's not all that radical, yet make no mistake about it...he is a solid repuke. Let's not get to carried away singing his praises...his seat is one we need to pick up in 06 and we got a real good shot at it.

[9119495]

71. Iowa Guy is right

Leach is my congressman and he is not a conservative...but we can do better. He does take principled positions but THAT IS WHAT WE SHOULD EXPECT FROM PEOPLE IN CONGRESS. That Leach breaks with his party does not mean we can't do better.

His '06 opponent David Loebsack is a great guy and such demands for inquiries would come from him too. I'd prefer a rep like Loebsack who is right 85% of the time than Leach's 45% of the time.

[Trevelyan]

79. When the Democrats take back the Congress, Rep. Conyers will

be the head of the Judiciary Committee and have subpoena power!

:woohoo:


For Andy Stephenson - THIS HAPPENED IN BLUE STATE MARYLAND, WHAT WAS IT AND WILL IT BE LIKE IF WE DON'T HAVE PAPER INSTEAD OF VAPOR BALLADS IN 2006?

Linda Lamone was responsible for going ahead with the purchase of Diebold machines though the contract was halted after the Diebold scandal broke with the author from Stanford going on NPR. Linda Lamone had to answer questions at a hearing after the 2004 "Election" but nothing came of it. I got a excuse ridden three page letter from her office that Diebold CEO stating that they were going to make sure Bush got the Ohio votes in a fund-raising letter that just because the manufacturers were partisen didn't mean they couldn't produce an "honest" election. Maryland's absentee ballots don't seem to have been counted to make it look like bush lost by less than he did in blue states.

~~~~~~~~~


TrueVoteMD.org
March 8, 2005
CONTACT: Linda Schade 301-270-6665

Emerging Scandal on MD Voting Machine Performance

All MD Diebold Machines on Lockdown
Under Investigation for Widespread Statewide Election Day 2004 Failures
MD Election Group Calls for Independent Investigation and De-Certification of Machines


Montgomery County, Maryland. According to county election officials and other sources, all Maryland voting machines have been on "lockdown" since November 2, 2004 due to statewide machine failures including 12% of machines in Montgomery County, some of which appear to have lost votes in significant numbers. The State Board of Elections convinced the media that Election Day went smoothly, when in fact there were serious statewide, systemic problems with the Diebold electronic voting machines -- so serious that the SBE and Diebold still have not figured out how to prevent the loss of votes in the future.

"Election Day was anything but smooth. Votes were lost, computer cards storing votes were unreadable, thousands of error messages were reported, machines froze in mid-voting and machines refused to boot up. The problems with the machines were so widespread and serious that efforts to hide the problems have failed," said Linda Schade, director of TrueVoteMD.org. "It is not sufficient for Diebold and the SBE to investigate themselves. They have misled the public about this problem and an independent investigation is needed. Further, these problems indicate that the Diebold machines should be decertified as required by Maryland law and as provided for in the Diebold contract. This is an opportunity to correct the mistaken purchase of paperless electronic voting machines. Diebold should refund Maryland tax dollars and we should start anew with a system that voters trust because it can be independently audited and recounts can be meaningful."

VOTES LOST According to the IT Report to the Montgomery County Election Board, dated December 13, 2004 there were two broad levels of problems. Seven percent of units (189) failed. This included failure to boot up, screen freezes and a variety of other problems. Screen freezes, which occurred on 106 voting units were "the most serious of errors" because many "froze when the voter pressed the Cast Ballot button." As a result "election judges are unable to provide substantial confirmation that the vote was in fact counted." In addition there were "122 suspect units (5%) were identified because the unit had few votes captured compared to other voting units in the polling place. A unit was considered suspect if it had 25-50 votes captured when all other units in the polling place had over 150 votes," the report stated. The IT report includes other details of Diebold machine failures including smart card and encoder problems as well as thousands of yet unexplained error messages, now called 'ballot exception errors."

UNREADABLE PC MEMORY CARDS Multiple sources also have revealed that the computer memory cards where vote totals are stored inside each voting machine were unreadable in multiple counties.

DIEBOLD UNABLE TO RESOLVE TECHNICAL FAILURE FOUR MONTHS AFTER ELECTION After IT examinations within Maryland failed to decipher the root of these problems, the State Board and Diebold sent voting machines to several out-of-state locations in Texas and Ohio for further testing, according to a Diebold memo dated February 16, 2005. As of the March 3, Montgomery County Election Board meeting, the PC memory card problems as well as those listed above cannot be explained by Diebold, according the IT report.

MACHINE FAILURES STATEWIDE Montgomery County Elections official Sam Statland has acknowledged that local boards around the state are gravely concerned about the Diebold system's performance and are pressuring the State Board of Elections for answers. In testimony before the State House Ways and Means on February 24, 2005, Mr. Statland cited the facts above and asserted that "Since the 2000 election cycle, the State of Maryland has become and still is a 'test site' for electronic voting." In the January State Board of Elections meeting, Linda Lamone discussed the "performance problems" and confirmed that "once finished they will start the same process in the other counties, beginning with Baltimore County."

TRUEVOTEMD CALLS FOR INDEPENDENT REVIEW AND DECERTIFICATION OF MACHINES AS REQUIRED BY LAW TrueVoteMD.org, an election integrity organization, is now calling for an independent investigation and for de-certification of the machines as required by Maryland election law (MD Code, Election Law § 9-102(c)(1)).* TrueVoteMD.org is a founding organization for VoteTrustUSA a national network of state election integrity groups and has been raising the alarm that the electronic Diebold voting system has serious vulnerabilities to computer malfunction and fraud for nearly two years. This information is confirmed by TrueVoteMD's Election Day report "When the Right to Vote Goes Wrong: Md Voters Tell The Story of Election Day 2004"

http://www.truevotemd.org/Resources/MDproblems04map.pdf.

"If the gubernatorial race in 2006 is as close as 2002 it would only take four errors per precinct to change the outcome of the election. Maryland cannot risk the election disaster that is impending. Maryland was lucky the presidential election in Maryland was not close; otherwise we would be embroiled in scandal to this day. It is time to put in place a system that is reliable and that voters can trust," concluded Schade. "Three independent reports have raised serious concerns with the security of Diebold machines, now we have seen the worst come to pass. These machines are unreliable and insecure. How many more warnings to Maryland officials need in order to take action to protect the vote?"

*MD Code, Election Law § 9-102(c)(1) (emphasis added). The SBE “shall decertify a previously certified voting system if” that system “ protect the security of the voting process,” and “ count and record all votes accurately.” Id. § 9-103(a)(2) (emphasis added).

Copies of the source documents mentioned in this release are available upon request by contacting TrueVoteMD.org.

###

TrueVoteMD is a non-partisan election integrity organization made up of candidates, elected officials, election judges, pollwatchers, and voters from all walks of life who support a voter-verified paper audit trail to ensure the accuracy, transparency and security of elections.

[rurallib]

86. Leach has always been there for the repukes

I live in Leach's district. It is time for him and his "integrity" that votes the DeLay line 75% of the time to pack up and go home. Thanks for a bone, Jim. Where were you for CAFTA? the deciding vote to pass? The budget? Again the one that put them over the line.
Methinks Mr. Leach is feeling the wind blow in his district and it blows not for Bush.

[rumpel]

54. That is good news. Thanks

[psychopomp]

55. kick ass ; )

:kick:

[sonias]

59. Great news!

Good for Leach!

Sonia

[IA_Seth]

60. This thread is making me ill....

As one of this bastards constituents I see nothing new with ol Mr Moderate coming to the frontline when he sees his ship sinking.

This man is a rat. Always been a rat, always will be. He feels some pressure back at home with his opponent in his race (Dave Loebsack - www.loebsackforcongress.com) picking up steam and he immediately starts in with his moderate routine.

Don't be fooled. And CERTAINLY do not offer support for this piece of feces. Instead, how about we submit donations to his opponent, who will surely need them to counter this wily bastard's ploy.

I say its time we show Dave Loebsack that we don't buy this repuke bullsheet and we support our fellow Dems.

[GetTheRightVote]

61. I was born and grew up in Iowa, they are simple but great people

I am grateful to Sen. Jim Leach for his stand for the truth.

:kick:

[IA_Seth]

62. Although he is a Congressman....

Sen Tom Harkin and Sen Grassley may argue about your chosen title.

[Stand and Fight]

77. That's "Representative Leach."

:shrug: Not Senator Leach...

[Lecky]

63. Oh wow!

Great news, I really admire the Republicans who are not afraid to take a stand against BushCo.

[ohtransplant]

64. They should talk to this guy

and see if he can recruit any of his peers from across the aisle. 200 sponsors would really shake things up.!

[anarchy1999]

65. Send letters, make phone calls, send faxes, don't let this momentum die.

It is time. We are responsible, this is our government, these elected officials work for us. Make them accountable. NOW!

[texpatriot2004]

66. Thank you Congressman Leach for doing the right thing and

putting partisan politics behind responsible public service.

[dutchdoctor]

67. Bush the Uniter. n/t

[patrioticliberal]

68. YES........and thank you Barbara lee as always!

[ngGale]

69. Woo hoo ...

:woohoo:

[Imalittleteapot]

70. Email Congressman Leach now! Thank him at

http:/www.congress.org

[rosesaylavee]

72. Nominated n/t

[kimpossible]

75. Wahoo!

With a Repub co-sponser, maybe they won't be banished to the basement for a hearing room this time.

[rateyes]

76. Now, the Democrats ought to start referring to

H.R. 375 as a "BI-PARTISAN" resolution.

[IA_Seth]

83. A message from his opponent....

Please read up on the comments in the Iowa forum, including a response from his opponent in his re-election bid, Dave Loebsack:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=152x2936

[Stand and Fight]

91. My letter:

Dear Representative Cole,

Currently there is a resolution before the House International Relations Committee for a Resolution of Inquiry in President Bush's administration's communications in the lead up to the Iraq War. President Bush has incurred the anger of your local constituents by saying that those who do not support the war in Iraq are hoping for the failure of the War on Terror. Nothing could be further from the truth. This president goes too far in his anti-dissedent rhetoric.

If this resolution should come to the floor of the House, I am asking that you co-sponsor this pivotal legislation. Even though I am confident you will tow the party line -- as you always do -- I suspect it does no harm to ask. Mr. Cole, it is high time that you take a principled Republican stance and think for yourself. As a government contractor, I can say that I am pleased with what you have done in regards to BRAC, but I would urge you to do the right thing. Please co-sponsor this resolution (H. Res. 375).

Congressman Jim Leach (R, Iowa) has informed Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D, California) that he will co-sponsor her Resolution of Inquiry into Bush Administration communications with the U.K. about Iraq at the time of the Downing Street Memos.

Thank you,

Mr. Stand and Fight

[Debi]

92. I hope people are reading the posts from people in Iowa

Leach isn't a Maverick republican - bucking his party to do the right thing....he's reading the writing on the wall and realizes that he may very well lose the next election if he doesn't 'appear' to be leaning left.

Leach screwed Iowans (and Americans) with his vote on the Bankruptcy bill and CAFTA (and many others). He voted against the IWR when he knew it would pass w/out his vote - just like he's signing on here were it may not come to fruition. (Looks good to the voters, no harm to his party), When the administration needs him to be a good republican lemming he always votes down the party line.

Don't praise him or support him - only know that he's worse than and idealoge...he's playing our Democratic desire for fairness to keep his seat R and we're buying into it. He's worse than a ranting, raving republican lunatic because he pretends to care about Democrats...then votes against our interests. He's worse than just an enemy, because he pretends to be our friend.

Support his Democratic opponent David Loebsack and make this seat D for the first time in a decade....it should always have been a D seat!

[IA_Seth]

93. Hear, Hear! From one Iowan to another! n/t

[VP505]

94. rude awakening

I guess those 40%and under approval numbers are starting to get the attention they deserve.:wow: