Hearings this week of note 7/10 - 7/13/06

[TayTay]

Interesting hearings this week. One is closed to the public, but still, it's nice to know that someone from the Bush Admin even bothered to go to SFRC and inform them that there was a problem. Maybe the Bushies have decided that the Senate can't be completely ignored. (Then again, sigh, maybe it's a decoy!)

[TayTay]

1. SFRC: 7/11/06: North Korea Status (Closed hearing.)

A North Korea Update
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MEMBERS BRIEFING
CLOSED BRIEFING
before the

COMMITTEE ON FOREIGN RELATIONS
UNITED STATES SENATE
ONE HUNDRED NINTH CONGRESS
SECOND SESSION

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tuesday, July 11, 2006

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Time: 9:00 AM
Place: S-407 The Capitol
Presiding: Senator Lugar

Briefer:
The Honorable John D. Negroponte
Director of National Intelligence
Office of the Director of National Intelligence
Washington, DC

*********************

Yuck, Negroponte. Tell me again why he isn't sharing a prison cell for what he did during Iran-Contra? Sigh! Anyway, Negroponte probably veers somewhere near the truth in closed session, but I doubt it. (Ahm, missiles from North Korea, what's that you say Dem Senator? How'd that happen? Ahm, we gave them a do-over. Yeah, we thought it was best all things considered to be fair and give North Korea a do-over. It might work. It's not like we can do a lot about it anyway.)

[TayTay]

3. SFRC: 7/13/06: (If it happens) An Iraq Update with Khalizad

Ahm, these have a habit of being cancelled at the last minute. Gee, I wonder why. Maybe Iraq isn't going as swimmingly as Lord Bush thinks it should be going. Maybe there have been, ahm, setbacks. Nah, that couldn't happen.

An Iraq Update
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HEARING
before the

COMMITTEE ON FOREIGN RELATIONS
UNITED STATES SENATE
ONE HUNDRED NINTH CONGRESS
SECOND SESSION

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Thursday, July 13, 2006

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Time: 9:30 AM
Place: 216 Hart Senate Office Building
Presiding: Senator Lugar

Witness:
The Honorable Zalmay Khalilzad
Ambassador to Iraq
Department of State
Washington, DC
**********************

Oy! BTW, I would like to see Sen. Kerry there. He tends to ask wicked good questions. But he doesn't go to hearings anymore, which makes me sad. :cry: :cry: :cry:

[rox63]

5. Why doesn't he go to hearings any more?

:shrug:

[TayTay]

6. When in doubt, blame George Allen.

That's what I do. Can you imagine getting up in the morning and thinking, "Let's see hearing this morning on Iraq with Khalizad. Good, I have a billion questions on that. Oh crap, I forgot, that doofus Allen is going to be there. I can't take another moment of watching him drool all over himself on Iraq. I just can't take it.

Besides, it's not like anything is going to happen because of Congressional testimony. Nobody listens to what's said, no Repub is going to allow criticism, no witness is going to actually think in public cuz it's too risky. So, what's the point anyway?"

OR:

He could be busy. I just miss him. He asks good questions. People sit up straight when he asks a question. (As opposed to putting their hands in front of their mouths when Allen and Coleman speak so no one will see them laughing.) I hope he comes back. :cry: :cry: :cry:

[wisteria]

2. What is going on? n/t

[TayTay]

4. Lots.

What is going on in regards to which screwup of the Bush Admin?

I have a menu:

Press 1 for international diplomacy
Press 2 for Iraq
Press 3 for North Korea
Press 4 for Iran
Press 5 for the collapse of the Coalition of the Willing
Press 6 for Mexico
Press 7 for Russia

etc. Which crisis is your preference today?

[wisteria]

7. All are so very important and all are so very screwed up. If

lives and security weren't at stake I would laugh at this foreign policy landscape Bush has created.

The next time someone tells me that Presidents have advisers so they don't need to know about such things as foreign policy and diplomatic relations outside the US, I will make sure I bring up Bush.