Showdown in the Senate Tues.: Boxer vs. Feinstein, re Condi Rice!

[Peace Patriot]

Do y'all realize what's happening Tues., Wed.? NINE HOURS of Senate debate on Rice--a very long debate which Democrats insisted on.

Feinstein, rep of the warmonger wing of the Party, will be giving friendly intro to Rice, to the full Senate.

Boxer, rep of the antiwar wing, and others including Kerry, will be trying to take Rice to pieces.

Here are two lapdog press articles laying out this unusual contest for the soul of the Democratic Party (really, that's what it is, though they don't put it quite like that):

http://apnews.myway.com/article/20050120/D87NRVAG0.html

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/afp/20050117/pl_afp/usricepolitics_050117223654

-------

LETTERS NEEDED!

Go to: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=203x296466

-------

Here's the sample letter we've prepared for DUers. It's hot! It needs to be blasted to all Senators by fax or email, and to media via email, over the weekend.

Dear Senator ____:

The war in Iraq is by far the worst and most disastrous mistake that the Bush regime has made, and Condoleeeza Rice, whom George Bush has nominated for Secretary of State, has been responsible for conveying the false justifications for this war to the American people and to the Congress.

We need a Secretary of State whose word we can trust, and who can be trusted by other countries. Condoleeza Rice does not meet that job description.

I oppose her appointment as Secretary of State, and I support the efforts of Senators Barbara Boxer and John Kerry to obtain answers from her on the matter of misleading America into war. I support their votes against her appointment, and I urge you to do the same in the full Senate.

Thousands of Americans have been killed and wounded, over 100,000 Iraqis have been killed and many have been imprisoned and tortured, in this war—a war based on falsehoods, and a war that also holds grave consequences for America's reputation as a just and conservative country for whom the use of a force is a last resort.

The administration is now stuck in a quagmire in Iraq, similar to the one in Vietnam in which over 50,000 US soldiers and over one million Vietnamese were killed—and now the regime is spoiling for war in additional countries.

Nearly 60% of the American people oppose the Bush Regime's war in Iraq. The American people cannot continue to pay for these reckless and bloody policies, and we can no longer tolerate war crimes being committed in our name.

Ms. Rice has also been less than candid about the failures of this administration to protect the U.S. from the 9/11 attack, and supports policies of completely unethical interference in the internal affairs of other countries, such as Haiti and Venezuela.

A regime that holds power on the tenuous grounds of massive vote suppression against minority voters in violation of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, on the further tenuous grounds of a non-transparent election system that is controlled by partisans of the regime, and that currently has almost 60% of the American people opposing its war policy, would be well advised not to commit further arrogant acts against the consent of the governed, such as nominating for Secretary of State a person whose lies have resulted in countless unnecessary deaths.

Sincerely,


We have all the tools for sending, at

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=203x296466

[darkworkz]

1. This is a good one!

Major KICK!

btw, MAIL IT after you email it. Bury them in paper!

[The Doctor.]

2. Good letter - succinct.

But many Senators know the real reason we are in Iraq and cannot afford to truly oppose the war... they think it is necessary.

We don't care whether other countries respect our secretary of state anyway, because most of them know what we are really doing in the ME.

[Peace Patriot]

3. I certainly figured out that they cannot afford to do it, but...

...I'm not sure what reason you mean.

1. Israel?

2. Return of the Caliphate?

3. Oil?

[The Doctor.]

5. No, the reserve status of the dollar....

Iraq was about to trade oil in Euros as soon as sanctions were lifted.

We could not afford that.
Our dollar is in jeopardy as it is, if energy prices became fixed to the Euro instead, we'd be screwed.

Our energy prices would rise enough to put our economy in the crapper, it wouldn't take much.

We had to make sure that didn't happen, and we're not done yet.

Iran is next - they are about to start trading oil in Yuen, that would take away all our leverage with our number one foreign debtor - China.

We can't let that happen either.

And the Senate knows it.

[brindis_desala]

9. that's a red herring. America is still the #1 buyer of goods

China knows that just as it knows the US controls the seas and has bases across the world. The reason Bush put the economy in the crapper is to convert us into a class-divided military behemoth that has no choice but to coerce and extort. Saddam was ready to deal (what choice did he have?)but the neocons wanted Iraq to be able to control both Saudi Arabia and quick access to Central Asia's oil but the cost is going to eat up most of the benefit. You're right about them wanting IRAN but the REASON is not China it is the EU. Europe's economy is on the upswing and they want Europe weakened and divided (read Germany, France and Russia vs the Rest) and most of all a pipeline through Iran to the Caspian Sea. All of which is short-sighted because of the environmental consequence.

[The Doctor.]

10. Short-sighted in terms of decades...

"Sad thing about humans, really... never learned to think in terms of millenia." - epitaph

Great points.

That would mean that China can't afford the Euro to become a more standard oil currency?

Of course. - We're playing two sides vs. the Euro... right?

We know China's stake in buying oil for Yuen... cheaper goods, higher sales.

Split the world?

Say it ain't so!

(I must be missing something - enlighten me... please, this is good stuff.)

[brindis_desala]

14. you got it! China is our "swing player" but IMO she's

playing "rope-a-dope" which is why we're letting the dollar flatten. Iran is positioning itself to be a major Mideast player and the irony is had the OSS not overthrown Mossadegh back in the 50's we'd probably have a strong Muslim ally; Iran has an estimated 26.6-trillion-cubic-meter gas reservoir, the second-largest in the world and China just signed a mega-deal to get it (in dollars). The Feds aren't stupid they WANT the yuan to float up to its real level. Big Consequence for the planet imagine their rate of consumption equalling ours. The reason the US has not become environmentally responsible is because oil is our big stick. (The Federal Reserve screwed us way back when we went off the gold standard and these same Anglo-American banking crooks literally looted FT. Knox but that's another story). Problem with this strategy is two-fold: Japan, Brazil and India are developing alternate fuels so the longer we drag our feet on this the worse for us-- and even moreso for the planet and we'll be forced to become even more belligerent. Either way we average Joes are on borrowed time...

[The Doctor.]

15. Ah yes, the yuan and the dollar become fixed by a common market...

we can still exert control over the oil market... but I'm still missing something here.
So we put American companies in charge of the gas sales out of Iran?

As for alternatives - I'm very exited about the ITER project and hoping that the US gets involved again.

From what I gather it may already be too late to save us from a serious warming event, but hopefully it will stabilize in a thousand years or so.

[understandinglife]

4. my email to feinstein:

Dear Senator Feinstein,

It is unconscionable and an extraordinary disservice to our Nation and the lives already lost or ruined in Iraq that you support, in any way, Ms Rice.

Ms Rice should be being indicted.

You have compromised your credibility and have tarnished your legacy by supporting Ms Rice.

Hopefully you will not only reconsider but vote NO to Ms Rice becoming a Secretary of State.

Thank you.

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

BE THE BUSH OPPOSITION; 24/7

[Peace Patriot]

6. Well deserved! Well said! n/t

[justy329]

7. Why on Earth is Feinstein introducing her?

Did they work together when she was at Stanford?
Couldn't they find a Republican?!

In any event, Jean Carnahan introduced Ashcroft to the senate judiciary committee even though she ended up voting against him. So, it does not mean (thought I doubt otherwise) the introducer is solidly behind the nominee.

[Peace Patriot]

11. Interesting point - but Feinstein really needs to hear from us! KICK!

I am bloody sick of Democrats doing this sort of thing--especially on war! 100,000+ people slaughtered for no reason!

[KingoftheJungle]

12. They had some "thing" going on at Stanford or something

They are old pals, probably also ate each other's boxes in some drunken college moment too.

Sorry that was crude, but I'm fed up with these bitches. I used to hear that if a woman were president there would be no war. Yeah fucking right is all I gotta say to that.

[AntiFascist]

13. I wonder if this has anything to do with it.....

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2003/04/22/MN310531.DTL

URS Corp., a San Francisco planning and engineering firm partially owned by California Sen. Dianne Feinstein's husband, landed an Army contract Monday worth up to $600 million.

<snip>

[texpatriot2004]

8. kick Condi in the ass n/t