Today's Daily Schadenfreude: the Republican Party

It seems almost uncivil to select the Republican Party, or Republicans in general, for the Daily Schadenfreude award twice in one week. But, as you know if you've been reading this blog for any length of time, I'm fucking uncivil. So, let's point and laugh one more time at the disintegrating, rotting carcass of the Republican Party, represented today by two notable departures.

First, former Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.) is leaving Congress before the end of his term to die hit the buffet at Sizzler do something undisclosed.

The Illinois Republican had announced in August he would not seek re-election in 2008, but indicated he planned to finish his current term, which ends in January 2009. Republican aides, speaking on background only because Hastert had not publicly announced his new plans, said he now has told colleagues he intends to leave office late this year or early next year.

Also today, we've learned that batshit crazy fundie Sen. Sam Brownback (R-Kan.) (right, visiting fellow Republicans) will be pulling the plug on his failed presidential campaign tomorrow.

Republican Sen. Sam Brownback, the Kansas conservative who struggled to raise money and gain recognition in the 2008 presidential campaign, will drop out on Friday, people close to him said Thursday.

Money was a main reason for his decision, said one person close to Brownback who requested anonymity because the candidate had not yet announced his plans. Brownback is expected [to] announce his withdrawal in Topeka, Kan.

[...]

As recently as last week, Brownback indicated he would keep campaigning through Iowa's first-in-the-nation presidential caucuses in January, saying he would exit the race if he finished worse than fourth there.

But his fundraising has sagged. Reports released Monday showed that of the eight Republican candidates, Brownback was seventh in fundraising from July through September and had a mere $94,000 cash on hand, less than any of his rivals. Brownback raised nearly $4 million overall and was eligible for $2 million in federal matching funds.

He spent a good chunk of his money on the Iowa straw poll, an early test of strength whose significance diminished after Arizona Sen. John McCain and former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani decided not to compete. He finished third in the August contest behind former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee.

Besides money, Brownback was hurt because he supports a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants, an issue that angers conservatives who influence voting in Iowa and other states that are struggling to provide education, medical care and other services to an influx of immigrants in recent years.

So, we get to wave goodbye to a couple of truly odious wingnuts. Granted, we won't necessarily be rid of Brownback, but here's hoping the good people of Kansas, whose choice of a Democratic governor (Kathleen Sebelius) proves that they have some sense, will retain that sense when Brownback, as planned, runs for governor there in 2010.

Meanwhile, to the Republican Party, as you bid adieu to these two warts, I heartily congratulate you, for today's Blast Off! Daily Schadenfreude is for you!

GOP hypocrisy revisited ... but I'm still angry

I don't normally do this, but I woke up a few minutes ago and instantly was reminded of how pissed off I am about Libby. This is going to be a long day.

In light of yesterday's news, I thought it was appropriate -- indeed, somewhat therapeutic -- to revisit a post from last month. I urge you to take a careful look at how Republicans felt about perjury eight years ago. Then contact your representatives and senators. Now. Today. Share your feelings (politely, yet firmly) with them.

But, first, read:

Former House Majority Leader Rep. Dick Armey (R-TX) – "But Mr. Speaker, perjury before a grand jury is not personal and it is not private. Obstruction of justice is not personal and it is not private. Abuse of the power of the greatest office in the world is not personal and it is not private." [ABC Special Report, 12/19/98]

Senator Arlen Specter (R-PA) – "Perjury and obstruction of justice are serious offenses which must not be tolerated by anyone in our society." [Washington Post, 2/12/99]

Senator Sam Brownback (R- KS) – "Perjury and obstruction of justice are crimes against the state. Perjury goes directly against the truth-finding function of the judicial branch of government." [Congressional Record, 2/12/99]

Senator Jon Kyl (R-AZ) – "...there can be no doubt that perjurious, false, and misleading statements made under oath in federal court proceedings are indeed impeachable offenses...John Jay, the first Chief Justice of the United States, said `there is no crime more extensively pernicious to society' than perjury, precisely because it `discolors and poisons the streams of justice.'" [Congressional Record, 2/12/99]

Senator Michael DeWine (R-OH) – "Obstruction of justice and perjury strike at the very heart of our system of justice...Perjury is also a very serious crime...The judiciary is designed to be a mechanism for finding the truth-so that justice can be done. Perjury perverts the judiciary, turning it into a mechanism that accepts lies-so that injustice may prevail." [Congressional Record, 2/12/99]

Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY) – "I am completely and utterly perplexed by those who argue that perjury and obstruction of justice are not high crimes and misdemeanors...Perjury and obstruction hammer away at the twin pillars of our legal system: truth and justice." [Congressional Record, 2/12/99]

Senator George Voinovich (R-OH) – "As constitutional scholar Charles Cooper said, `The crimes of perjury and obstruction of justice, like the crimes of treason and bribery, are quintessentially offenses against our system of government, visiting injury immediately on society itself.'" [Congressional Record, 2/12/99]

Senator John Sununu (R-NH) – "These acts are not merely technical violations of federal law; they demonstrate a broad and consistent pattern of behavior designed to corrupt our system of due process. To withhold or delay swift and appropriate action would be to hold a single individual above the law; and, herein lies the tragic precedent which a vote against impeachment creates. A vote against impeachment holds a single individual to a unique standard, above all other citizens, and outside the boundaries of our judicial system." [Union Leader, Sununu Editorial; 12/13/98]

Rep. Henry Hyde (R-IL) – "So for my friends who think that perjury, lying and deceit are in some circumstances acceptable and undeserving of punishment I respectfully disagree." [House Judiciary Committee, 12/1/98]

Rep. Lindsay Graham (R-SC) – "It isn't polls that count, it's right and wrong...the evidence is overwhelming that these offenses occurred, the crime of perjury and obstruction of justice have traditionally been high crimes under our Constitutions." [Senate Impeachment Trial of President Clinton, 2/8/99]

Rep. J.D. Hayworth (R-AZ) – "Lying under oath is perjury, plain and simple," said Rep. J.D. Hayworth, R-Ariz. "Can you imagine what happens in court when you suddenly eliminate perjury, if you say you can make exceptions for perjury? . . . For me, it's just a very fundamental question." [Dallas Morning News, 10/11/98]

Rep. Steve Chabot (R-OH) – "It would be wrong for you to tell America's children that some lies are all right. It would be wrong to show the rest of the world that some of our laws don't really matter." [AP, 2/9/99]

Rep. Bob Ney (R-OH) – "By committing perjury, obstructing justice and corroding the rule of law that is the basis of a civil society"

Rep. Ralph Regula (R-OH) – "It's going to boil down to whether there's hard evidence of obstruction of justice. ... You can't eliminate a felony by just apologizing" [Akron Beacon-Journal, 9/12/98]

Rep. Jim Kolbe (R-[AZ]) – "I believe there is ample evidence that felonious conduct -- and perjury is a felony -- falls well within the bounds of what our forefathers intended the phrase 'high crimes and misdemeanors' to include. [USA Today, 12/17/98]

Rep. Charles Taylor (R-NC) – "The seriousness of the charges - perjury, subornation of witnesses, obstruction of justice - strike at the heart of our basis of our Constitution, the rule of law." [Associated Press, 10/8/98]

Rep. John Mica (R-FL) – "If you commit perjury or obstruct justice, you will be held accountable. If you are a member of Congress or president . . . you will be held accountable. Even if you . . . do a thousand good deeds, you will be held accountable." [Orlando Sentinel, 12/20/98]

Rep. Howard Coble (R-NC) – "Unless a man is honest," said Coble, "we have no right to keep him in public life. It matters not how brilliant his capacity." Coble added, "It is not sex. It is indeed perjury. It is the lie." [News & Record, 12/19/98]

Sean Hannity – "Certainly, perjury is a felony, the last time I checked." [Fox, 9/10/98]

Former RNC Spokesman/ CNN Contributor Cliff May: "Bribery and perjury are equivalent crimes." [Fox, 1/18/99]

Ann Coulter – "Perjury? I think perjury's pretty important." [CNBC, 6/12/98]

Ann Coulter – "This is obstruction of justice, perjury, and false statements. This is completely a different matter now. It is much higher, much higher level, much bigger deal." [CNN, 1/27/98]

Brownback, Ney, Specter, McConnell ... a veritable ship of fools.

Now ... go write some letters (or e-mails) and make some calls. I've got some letters to write myself ...

(h/t to Swampland commenter James, Los Angeles)

Dueling headlines

I managed to avoid miss the GOP debate last night. I can't subject my brain to that much abject stupidity.

But it's interesting to see the divergent views from the MSM on what the debate meant.

From Agence France Presse (normally a decent source):

US Republicans hammer Democrats on Iraq

From the Associated Press (usually all the news that's fit to print with a rightward slant):

GOP candidates shy away from Bush

Either way, it's not their fault! (That goes double for the congressional enablers at the debate who gave Bush his way, including McCain, Tancredo, Hunter, and Brownback.)

An aside: speaking of Duncan Hunter, what the hell was he thinking when he said this (quoted in the AP article linked above)?

"If they get across my fence, we sign them up for the Olympics immediately," said Rep. Duncan Hunter of California, a vocal opponent of the bill and a proponent of building more fencing along the U.S border with Mexico.

Racist much, Duncan? Or just stupid?

Republican follies, today featuring Rudy Giuliani

Too bad I already bestowed today's Daily Schadenfreude award on Newt Gingrich, because a fellow GOP presidential hopeful has more problems of his own.

One of the nation's largest firefighters' union has accused Republican presidential contender Rudy Giuliani, the former New York City mayor, of committing "egregious acts" against firefighters who died in the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

The International Association of Fire Fighters, in a draft letter, excoriated Giuliani for his November 2001 decision to cut back the number of firefighters searching the rubble of Ground Zero for the remains of some 300 fallen comrades.

The 280,000-member union accused him of expediting the clean-up process with a "scoop-and-dump" operation after the recovery of millions of dollars in gold, silver and other assets from the Bank of Nova Scotia that had been buried.

It's really quite humorous to watch the Repukes try to find a candidate that isn't an utter disaster. Let's see ...

there's Newt, and I've already given him more attention than he deserves today (plus he's not even a declared candidate) ...

... there's Mitt, whose campaign is a comedy of errors ...

... there's Crazy John McCain, the erstwhile maverick whose only unusual move to date is pushing for more, not fewer, troops in Iraq ...

... the longshots like Duncan "Ann Coulter's Crush" Hunter, Mike Huckabee, Sam Brownback, and Tom Tancredo ...

... and now Rudy's finding even ways to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.

There's really nothing quite so satisfying as watching the Repukes shoot each other in the face foot for the privilege of losing in the general election.