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| Boxer foams at the mouth again |
| 2004-12-14 |
| Sen. Barbara Boxer warned Monday that Americans "should feel concerned" about the administration's "very bad job of vetting" Bernard Kerik, as opposed the the sucessful vetting of Bill Clinton who withdrew as President Bush's nominee to head the Department of Homeland Security last week within days of his selection because of questions about his career and personal life. "They're not doing their job over there," Boxer, D-Calif., said of the White House in reaction to the embarrassing developments over Kerik, whose troubles included a failure to disclose immigration problems and pay taxes on a family nanny -- and may involve more serious published allegations of extramarital affairs and improper gifts from supporters. Slick Willie never do these things Boxer, But Boxer, who was re-elected last month to a third term, was most critical of the Bush administration on a variety of issues from the flawed nomination of Kerik, the former New York City police commissioner, to Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld's handling of the war in Iraq. "We still don't know why they hate us!" The senator said Kerik's failure to disclose his problems were "a terrible reflection on this man, who was such a hero during 9/11." But she added the administration apparently did "a very bad job of vetting; the American people should be concerned." Didn't we use the same people who vetted Dean and Frenchy? Boxer also called for Rumsfeld "to move on" Move On is your bag in light of last week's exchange with soldiers in Kuwait who were concerned about being inadequately armed for war. Rumsfeld told the troops that "you go to war with the Army you have, not the Army you might want." "I'm not formally calling on him to step down," she "After all we voted for massive defense funding....er no..." Among the issues Boxer spoke to: -- On the BALCO scandal, she said the use of steroids among professional athletes had resulted in a "dismembering of our heroes" in the sports world. She called for tougher legal remedies on those who create and distribute the drugs, saying "we should throw the book at these people," but she said athletes who take them "are clearly breaking the law as well." The Boxer said she agreed with Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., that Congress might have to intervene if baseball owners and players did not require more sophisticated and regular steroid testing of athletes. "I don't like to see Congress getting involved in the sports arena ..." she said, "but if developments lead us there, we'll have to go there." "I can say no more..." -- In another sports-related issue, Boxer said congressional oversight may also be needed to get answers from college football's Bowl Championship Series after the failure of UC Berkeley's team to be selected to the Rose Bowl despite a 10-1 record and a No. 4 ranking. "Why do sports fans hate us?" In a letter to Kevin Weiberg, the coordinator of the Bowl Championship Series, Boxer suggested that the Senate Commerce Committee, which oversees interstate commerce and sports, might require more information about the process regarding the way teams were picked for bowl games. These are decisions in which there are "millions of dollars at stake" for universities, she said. Cal's failure to land a Rose Bowl bid and its invitation to play in the Holiday Bowl is estimated to have cost the university $2.5 million, according to the Pacific 10 conference. -- On Schwarzenegger's performance, Boxer said, "when the governor reaches out in a nonpartisan way, he does very well ... (but) when he decides to create division, as he did to the nurses, I just think he falls so flat -- and it's discouraging." Translation - "He didn't do what I wanted" Boxer was referring the governor's remarks last week at an annual conference on women, in which he urged the audience to ignore a small protests of nurses, calling them "special interests" which he said were angry at him because "I kick their butt." |
| Posted by:Warthog |
| #12 Hey, Barbara, you mean like the Dems vetted Kerry? Anybody ask him about his magic hat and Christmas in Cambodia? You really thought the Winter Soldier stuff didn't matter? |
| Posted by: RWV 2004-12-14 5:50:46 PM |
| #11 Anyone else noticed the latest talking point from the left? It's nothing new; just another variation of it's-good-when-we-do-it-but-not-when-you-do-it. |
| Posted by: Bomb-a-rama 2004-12-14 4:50:18 PM |
| #10 Great title Warhog. |
| Posted by: Rex Mundi 2004-12-14 4:38:14 PM |
| #9 Thanks Mark.....what we really need is a "Boxer Rebellion"..... |
| Posted by: Warthog 2004-12-14 4:02:58 PM |
| #8 They seem to be stuck Yeah, that seems to be part of the bargain when your party's intellectually bankrupt. Believe I'll starting referring to the Democratic party as Whigs. |
| Posted by: Dreadnought 2004-12-14 3:45:56 PM |
| #7 Let's really twist Barb's knickers: Schwarzenegger for Secretary of Homeland Security! |
| Posted by: Seafarious 2004-12-14 3:39:09 PM |
| #6 Warthog: Excellent headine to the posting. Well done. |
| Posted by: Mark Z. 2004-12-14 3:31:06 PM |
| #5 I think the people of My former state need to review their vetting process. They re-elected this nincompoop twice. |
| Posted by: jackal 2004-12-14 2:33:02 PM |
| #4 Ah, the pre-emptive slur - the tactic of Dhimmidonk choice for the last year. They seem to be stuck, unimaginative... a cranial vapor-lock, perhaps? Perhaps we can suggest another line of attack for them? |
| Posted by: .com 2004-12-14 2:23:47 PM |
| #3 On Schwarzenegger’s performance, Boxer said, "when the governor reaches out in a nonpartisan way, he does very well ... (but) when he decides to create division, as he did to the nurses, I just think he falls so flat -- and it’s discouraging." Anyone else noticed the latest talking point from the left? Anyone who doesn't do what they want is "creating division". Never mind that, most of the time, they're the ones calling names, spitting on people, and doing their best to divide people along class, race, and religious lines -- no, everyone else is divisive. |
| Posted by: Robert Crawford 2004-12-14 2:10:08 PM |
| #2 I'd like to see an investigation into stock-market trading by this ex-stockbroker. But as to Kerik, his appointment always stunk. A very strange choice for a super-bureaucratic inside Beltway post with no authority. I ahve to think that there's an untold story here about Giuliani's ambitions and what he thought Bush would do for him. Probably thought he could get Bush/Rove's early blessing as the conservative heir apparent for 2008. |
| Posted by: lex 2004-12-14 1:54:06 PM |
| #1 When I read the title I thought Mike Tyson was at it again. |
| Posted by: BH 2004-12-14 1:50:34 PM |