Mikulski Slams WH: ‘Since You’re Pugnacious, Guess What? I’m Going To Be Pretty Pugnacious, Too’»

[babylonsister]

:applause::applause:

http://thinkprogress.org/2008/04/17/mikulski-nussle/

Mikulski Slams White House: ‘Since You’re Pugnacious, Guess What? I’m Going To Be Pretty Pugnacious, Too’»

The White House has proposed a $108 billion emergency-spending bill to fund the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Frustrated that U.S. taxpayers continue to pay for the wars while domestic needs go unmet, lawmakers have attempted to attach spending for domestic programs to the bill. But Bush has balked, promising to veto any such bills.

During a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing yesterday, White House budget director Jim Nussle ironically blasted lawmakers for “sky-is-the-limit mind-set” on the spending bill. One of the most combative moments came when Sen. Barbara Mikulski (D-MD) chastised Nussle for his “snarky, scolding, dismissive” responses to the senators and the Bush administration’s attitude toward funding the nation’s law enforcement officers:

Your testimony has been disappointing in both tone and substance. I personally take offense at the snarky, scolding, dismissive way that this testimony represents. And I think it’s inappropriate. <…>

This is an ideological commentary, not the testimony of OMB. So since you’re pugnacious, guess what? I’m going to be pretty pugnacious, too, only my pugnaciousness is not going to be directed at the Congress. It’s going to be pugnacious about the people I represent. <…>

Number one, let’s go to safety and security. We have funded the surge of Baghdad, but we have not funded the surge of violent crime in Baltimore, Biloxi, or other places. You have zeroed out the COPS program. You have zeroed out the Byrne grant.

Watch it/read transcript at link~

Bush has requested $603 million to train Iraqi police. But at the same time, his FY 2009 budget includes a 61 percent cut for state and local law enforcement programs at the Justice Department.

[Vincardog]

1. Why doesn't the majority party attach an Universal single payer health care plan to this bill?

The
Party of Death and Destruction
can fund it if they want to get the money for their war.

[spanone]

10. why doesn't the majority party stop funding this clusterfuck of a war...they alone can stop this

[bushmeister0]

2. Cops, who needs cops?

Once people figure out they're on their own, they'll start buying lots of guns a la Baton Rouge post Katrina -- a boost to the NRA and the gun manufacturers like the Reverend Moon and his son Justin Moon, the head of Kahr Arms -- and as the streets decend into choas, Iraq vets coming home to no jobs will suddenly find themselves uniquely qualified for the new task of controling the streets of Baghdad America.

Now that's a retuen on our investments in Iraq you can't argue with!

[REACTIVATED IN CT]

3. Good for her !

Recommended

[SpiralHawk]

4. Borrow-and-spend Republicons have caused the Republicon Recesssion

Go get 'em, Babs, for throwing our tax dollars down their republicon Nation Building crap hole overseas.

[JaneQPublic]

5. That's our Babs! We love her here in Maryland! (NT)

[hootinholler]

8. Speak for yourself.

I'm about 50/50 on her. She has disappointed me more often than not.

-Hoot

[dmr]

6. NUSSLE: Well, Senator, I can only repeat what the president has said.

MIKULSKI: The president didn’t say anything about this. You think if I went to see the president, he would say, No ?

These politicized and unqualified WH appointees have consistently used this phrase "The President said ..."

What's that suppose to do, make us all tremble? The President said do it or else? Our job is to bow down to Bush* The Terrible?

Good on Mikulski. I wish we would have thrown pugnacious back into their pugnacious and arrogant faces long, long ago, but it's never too late.

MIKULSKI: .... You can talk about all your smokestacks and whatever, but you bet there’s smoke. There’s smoke right here and now, and there is frustration from state and local police officers that say they need help. They need help. ....

Frustration is just another word for ... I was thinking "bitter"

I am. Bitter and angry.

[VP505]

7. She wasn't the only one

that gave Nussle and earful. Late last night I was flipping through the channels when I came across a rerun of the hearing on C-SPAN, I missed her but I did hear Durbin, Murry, Landrieu, Dorgan and Feinstein and without exception they were really laying it on him. I couldn't stop watching as I don't think I have ever seen an admin ass clown get a brow beating like that. If C-SPAN has video on their Web page I highly recommend watching.
,

[Supersedeas]

9. meanwhile the network television news feeds us trivial pursuit