When Republicans Loved a Filibuster

[im10ashus]

When Republicans Loved a Filibuster
By Robert Parry
January 27, 2006



Supporters of George W. Bush are lambasting Sen. John Kerry for a threatened filibuster against U.S. Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito. But 15 years ago, their attitude was different as backers of George H.W. Bush wielded the filibuster to block a probe into Republican secret dealings with Iran that could have doomed the Bush Dynasty.

In 1991, the Democratic-controlled Senate was planning an investigation into whether Republicans had conducted secret negotiations with Iran’s Islamic fundamentalist regime during the 1980 campaign, when Jimmy Carter was still President and Iran was holding 52 Americans hostage.

The unresolved hostage crisis destroyed Carter’s reelection hopes and gave an important boost to Ronald Reagan when the hostages were released on Jan. 20, 1981, immediately after he was sworn in as President and George H.W. Bush became Vice President.

A decade after those events, some Democrats wanted to get to the bottom of recurring allegations that George Bush Sr., a former CIA director, had joined clandestine negotiations with Iran in fall 1980 that may have delayed release of the hostages for political gain, what was called the “October Surprise” mystery.

Meanwhile, Republicans were worried that a full-scale October Surprise investigation might implicate Bush in near-treasonous talks with an enemy state and devastate his 1992 reelection campaign. Confirmation of the allegations also would have eviscerated the legitimacy of the Reagan-Bush era.

cont'd...

http://www.consortiumnews.com/2006/012706.html

[patrice]

1. Duly noted and passed along to several listserves.

Thanks for the Reminder!

[im10ashus]

2. You are welcome. Patrice.

The voters need to be made aware of the double-standards set by this administration. The question is, will they listen? Will they care?

[no_hypocrisy]

3. Strom Thurmond filibustered 24 hours and 18 minutes against the Voting

Rights Act in 1957. He holds the record for the longest filibuster.
http://ezinearticles.com/?Famous-Filibusters-in-Political-History&id=31091

Interestingly, Robert Byrd of West Virginia had a notable filibuster against the Civil Rights Act in the 1964.

[im10ashus]

4. They seem to forget. Conveniently.

And Byrd should be ashamed for not fighting this nomination. If he is so renowned for his Civil Rights filibuster, he could try to be a little more redemptive. IMHO. :shrug: