Biden Says He Is Leaning Against Gonzales Confirmation

[spotbird]

WASHINGTON - Sen. Joseph Biden, a senior Democrat on the Judiciary Committee, said Sunday he was leaning against confirmation of Alberto Gonzales, President Bush's choice to be the next attorney general.

Bush's choice of his White House counsel to be the nation's top lawman, "may very well do us more harm internationally because of its relationship with the terror memos," the senator from Delaware said on the ABC News program "This Week."

*skip*

He said he would vote for Rice to replace Colin Powell as secretary of state because "she's an honorable person" and a president "gets the chance to pick the person who he thinks will implement his policies.


http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A30321-2005Jan23.html?sub=AR

Biden thinks Condi is honest. Biden thinks this good old boy nice guy act will help him get the nomination, what it will do is insure his place in history as an enabler.

[Fenris]

1. No he's not.

Watch him.

[spotbird]

4. It occurred to me that he is pulling a McCain also.

He wants to look deliberative so he pretends to waiver, then is convinced at the last minute to go with the majority.

It would be great symbolism to have a substantial Democratic senators vote against him, but it is hard to imagine that it will happen. They wouldn't want to appear as if they don't support the president.

[graywarrior]

2. Liar.

[Hieronymus]

39. BIGTIME LIAR!

This is the man that that said to Gonzales, in the hearing, "You're the real deal, I like you". Biden is full of it.:eyes:

[GRLMGC]

3. What? I don't think so

A. Condi isn't honorable
B. If he really thinks that the President should get whoever he wants, then why would he contradict that and vote against Gonzales

I think its a bunch of crap.

[Jack Rabbit]

5. Sometimes I can't figure Biden out

This is one of them.

Both nominations deserve to be blocked.

[Zensea]

7. Gonzales is worse than Rice

I'd vote against both of them if I were in a position to do so, but I do think Gonzales is worse because appointing an attorney general who advocated torture is a more egregious thing than appointing a Secretary of State who lied, in my opinion.

[Jack Rabbit]

27. I agree, but it's still like asking for one's choice of poison

An AG who advises his clients on the legal justifications for torture (as if there were any) and a secretary of state who lies about reasons for going to war are both unacceptable. Both should be put in front of a war crimes tribunal.

[Just Me]

29. Perhaps, an increasingly conflicted man in face of reality.

If so,...not a bad thing.

[Sirveri]

6. I saw him on C-Span.

It was hillarious, he basically called Rumsfeld a moron and said that he was only voting for Condi because he knew she would get the job anyways and he wanted to be on good terms. That it was a vote based on the hope that she would actually be competant instead of based on previous experiences to the contrary.

[FDRLincoln]

9. biden and rice and gonzalez

Gonzalez is, in my opinion, far more dangerous than Rice.

Rice is a cypher, and her confirmation or non-confirmation will change nothing about US foreign policy.

Having a pro-torture legal mind like Gonzalez as AG would have far more negative long-lasting consequences than having Rice as SecState. Look at it this way: we could all laugh at John Ashcroft because he was too incompetent to be truly, truly dangerous to civil liberties. Gonzalez is as evil as Ashcroft, but far more clever.

[rainbow4321]

17. Condi couldn't even give a simple "yes" or "no"

Rice didn't exactly come out against torture last week, though, did she? How many times was she asked to give a YES or NO answer to whether some of the torture treatments/actions listed were actually considered, in her eyes, torture. Repeatedly she refused to say yes or no. This is the person that we need going overseas to represent the US??

[Bush_Eats_Beef]

10. Yep, I hear that Condi is getting a competency transplant

Turns a total f**kup into a BRILLIANT cabinet member.

:grr:

[rainbow4321]

19. Good terms and hope, my ass.

(rolling eyes) Oh, yeah, gotta stay on good terms...maybe we should just skip all future Prez elections and just give the office to repuke after repuke...just so we Dems can stay on good terms with them....

[NNN0LHI]

8. " Leaning" against this little torturer who talks like a Texan Micky Mouse?

We got to get some new Dem's. This is bullshit.

Don

[AlCzervik]

11. blah blah blah, he's seeing if it will impact his

chances of running for pres. I'm sure he's run this by his exploratory committee.

[Eric J in MN]

12. Only a filibuster can stop Alberto Gonzales.

A yes vote vs. a no vote is trivial.

They should stop Alberto Gonzales from becoming Attorney General. That will only happen with a filibuster.

Please ask your Senators on Monday to filibuster.

Phone [phone] (Capitol Hill Switchboard), ask to be transferred to the office of your Senator, and leave a message requesting that your Senator filibuster against Alberto Gonzales, Torturer.

[mordarlar]

37. This is why the Reps are trying to do away with the filibuster. they know.

it is our only chance at a voice.

[Nothing Without Hope]

13. Only LEANING against Gonzales?! and voting for Rice??!!

Is he really this stupid or is it politically expedient collaboration? Some unholy mix of these? There is no excuse for this.

[fooj]

14. I'm with you! Leaning? C'mon Joe- This is a no brainer!

GEEEEZ...

[Nothing Without Hope]

18. Yeah, BOTH of them are. This doesn't do his "good guy" image any good. n/t

And he wants Condi to HELP the blivet** implement his policies? What, is he a closet Armageddon booster? Does he think he will be Carried Away with all the Rethug true believers?

And he thinks this will HELP his 2008 Presidential run?

I hope the voters in his state hold him accountable and that someone more worthy of the office can take his place.

[American Tragedy]

15. Dammit, I hate it when Senators play this game.

Either say what you're planning to do, or tell the interviewer that you're reserving your answer for the hearing. But don't pretend to take us through your deliberative processes by announcing that you're "leaning against" it. There's not much room for ambivalence in the decision to confirm or reject this guy, for either Republicans or Democrats.

I just hope they give Gonzales hell this week.

[rainbow4321]

16. Uh, "implementing the policies" is the fucking PROBLEM....

is there a puzzle piece missing here? Cuz how the hell does he equate "honorable" with Rice who REFUSED to say YES or NO to the question about certain actions being torture or not??? Like that WON'T do us "more harm internationally"..last time I checked we had quite a few Americans located "internationally" and Rice may have just given the green light to some bad guys giving these folks some of the same treatment..but, hey, Condi, that's OK with YOU, right??

And if he is saying that chimp has a right to pick who he wants, why is he leaning against this next nomination?

[Nothing Without Hope]

21. You got it on the head. Implementing the cartel policies has been

and will be a total disaster for the nation and the world, and anyone with his head someplace other than his ass would know it. BIden knows it -- how could he not -- but he is willing to play this political game while the nation is destroyed. What does that make him?

This is just appalling.

[Emboldened Chimp]

20. Let's hit him with calls, faxes and emails!

Put his feet to the fire...

WASHINGTON, D.C. OFFICE
201 Russell Senate Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20510

Phone: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
TDD: 202-224-5652
E-mail: [e-mail]

[Nothing Without Hope]

24. Yes, let's. He obviously values his political standing above all,

so let's show him he is endangering it with his coy games about confirming Gonzales and Rice. Both must be opposed by anyone who cares at all about this country.

And thanks for the contact info.

[deek]

38. kick for our voices eom

.

[indepat]

22. Geez, it must take gargatulum balls to even consider such perfidy.

[murray hill farm]

23. Gonzalas?

He is beyond scary...beyond reason...he is the scariest of them all.

[izzie]

25. If they do not vote against him they must be for him so--

I guess they are into the army having not to go by the rules.

[EC]

26. I think with Alberto Gonzales

it's more personal...He was really, really angry about the torture memos because his son is in the service..

[robbedvoter]

28. "leaning" against torture? How honorable!

http://aolsvc.news.aol.com/news/article.adp?id=20050116...

Biden also praised Rice, but noted that "relations with many of our oldest friends are quite frankly scraping the bottom right now.''
However, Biden also had blunt advice for European critics: "I have one simple message: Get over it. Get over it. President Bush is our president for the next four years. So get over it and start to act in your interest, Europe.''..........

[BrklynLiberal]

32. Maybe Europe's best interests would be to have nothing to do with us.

However, Biden also had blunt advice for European critics: "I have one simple message: Get over it. Get over it. President Bush is our president for the next four years. So get over it and start to act in your interest, Europe.''..........

[hopein08]

30. WTF???!!!

Gonzales and Rice would both implement Bush's policies. If a president "gets the chance to pick the person who he thinks will implement his policies" then Biden should vote for Gonzales and Rice...twice!

As my one history professor would always say, "If you keep straddling the fence like that, you're going to get splinters."

Just for good measure, maybe he should vote for Gonzales in committee and against him in the full vote...he could do that for Rice too. Then he can plaigarize (sp?) Kerry's "I voted for it before I voted against it."

This is ridiculous!

[Solly Mack]

31. Mah, init n'at speshul

[ClarkUSA]

33. Biden wants to run in 2008 and knows the Democratic base is watching...

so he's playing both sides of the fence.

[Judi Lynn]

34. Wish he'd think more about the country, & less about Joe!

He's just not Presidential material, but then, when you consider what's currently sitting in the Oval Office, and strutting around in the President's name, it's suddenly easy to see almost anyone there!

[Solly Mack]

35. know what happens when you sit in the middle between two sides?

you get rammed from both ends

people on fences make better targets..(cuz ya cain't play boath sides of thuh fense widout be-IN on thuh fense)

I would have typed all of that in my native southern accent but it takes too damn long.... and I DO have a southern accent :)

[geomon666]

36. But I thought he was the real deal.

Go to hell Biden and take the other appeasers with you.