NYT/AP: Ex-Senate Leaders Join Bipartisan Effort: Group led by Baker, Mitchell, Dole and Daschle

[DeepModem Mom]

Ex-Senate Leaders Join Bipartisan Effort
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published: March 5, 2007

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Four former Senate majority leaders are heading a new group aimed at putting aside partisan politics and offering solutions to the nation's biggest issues.

The Bipartisan Policy Center, to be announced at a news conference Tuesday, will be directed by former Sens. Howard Baker, R-Tenn.; George Mitchell, D-Maine; Bob Dole, R-Kan.; and Tom Daschle, D-S.D....

***

Congress, evenly divided and sharply partisan, in recent years has turned to outside commissions for advice on politically sensitive topics. Two of those nonpartisan groups, the Sept. 11 Commission and the Iraq Study Group, have had considerable influence on policy.

The former senators believe the new group ''can help create common sense solutions to key national challenges and can help foster a return to more civil political debate,'' Baker, the Senate leader from 1981 to 1985, said in a statement.

The center has a staff of 20 and a budget of $7 million for 2007, funded by several philanthropic groups. At first, it plans to concentrate on projects dealing with agriculture, energy and national security policy....

http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/us/AP-Former-Senate-Leaders.html

[PSPS]

1. "considerable influence on policy." Yeah, whatever.

This will be another doomed attempt to somehow "softly" derail the bush crime machine.

It's odd that the author of this piece claims, "Two of those nonpartisan groups, the Sept. 11 Commission and the Iraq Study Group, have had considerable influence on policy."

Hmm, that's an odd thing to say. As I recall, bush belittled and ignored the ISG report, saying baket et al., should "keep their day jobs." And the Sept 11th Commission -- isn't that the one where the only substantive part, referred to as "Part 2," is still languishing and collecting dust somewhere?

There's no desire whatsoever by the bush cabal to stop anything they're doing. It's paying off quite handsomely for them and their cronies. Our treasury has been emptied by them many times over. What's to stop them? Their sense of patriotism? Their shame? Their morals?

When will Washington finally come to grips with what we're really dealing with here?

[skiddlybop]

2. And what the hell are the

"philanthropic groups" who are funding the millions here?

Follow the money and I'm sure it's kkkonservatives funding another source of political noise to provide cover for the stay-the-course profiteering of Bush Corp.

[bemildred]

3. Yeah, yeah, gotta rescue the two-party "system".

Can't start having real elections and real political fights just because the country is run by incompetent weasels.