The Republican I want to applaud this week is someone who
- served in the Senate since 1980
- exercised long-standing oversight of the Defense Department's ability to misspend tax dollars
- has an 80 percent rating from the American Conservative Union and a 5 percent rating from the liberal Americans for Democratic Action
- voted against authorizing the Gulf War (yes, the first one)
- supported FBI agent Colleen Rowley, (an occasional staff writer for this site) who tried to warn of anti-terrorism failures
- a devout Baptist
- initiated a Senate Finance Committee investigation of six televangelists for conspicuous personal spending
Because it'sChuck Grassley!
Grassley is an Iowa Republican who has long led the conservative forces of his state and now has been denied his customary position as a voting delegate to this year's Republican National Convention! It's being done by the Iowa Christian Alliance. The ICA has effectively taken over the state party's executive committee, and they obviously weren't happy with Grassley.
One gripe is obviously that Grassley teamed up with Democrat Max Baucus to investigate the finances of televangelists.2002, Grassley was interviewed on 60 Minutes about FBI incompetence in translating foreign language documents before and after 9/11. This Republican didn't pull his punches in assigning Administration blame in the war on terror.
Grassley may attend the party's Sept. 1-4 nominating convention in St. Paul, but not as a voting delegate. Of course, if he were a Democrat, he would have super delegate status!
Iowa Republican National Committee member Steve Roberts, also recently ousted, observes,
The Republican Party of Iowa is moving significantly to the right on social issues. It hurts John McCain's chances to win this state.So, I appreciate Chuck Grassley for whom and what he is,
It's pretty well controlled now by the Christian Alliance. If somebody came to me and wanted to be a delegate to the national party convention, I used to say, 'Talk to the state party chairman or to Grassley.' Now it's very simple. You go to the Christian Alliance, and they determine who is a delegate, and you have to do exactly as they say.
- a true maverick (not a fake maverick like whatshisname from Arizona)
- a true Conservative who thinks for himself
- a public servant who follows his personal conscience more than party discipline
My kind of person, especially since she supported Agent Rawley, who, as you know, is a great American. I'm still having problems trying to forgive those idiots in those bureaucratic idiots in the Bush administration who wouldn't listen to her about about terrorists taking flying lessons.
ReplyDeleteAgent Rawley lives here in Minneapolis. We progressives here in the twin cities love her. Thanks
An excellent choice!
ReplyDeleteGrassley has gotten a raw deal. And all seemingly because he's a true conservative, the old-fashioned kind who really is for conserving something, and therefore against waste, fraud, abuse and corruption, just trying to save taxpayers’ money. Very Iowan that way. (Grassley's wife is from my hometown in Iowa of 4,000.) He's been the main Senator championing government whistleblower causes for decades. Ironically, it's his current pursuit of potential fraud that has landed him in hot water with some of the Republican tele-evangelists.
ReplyDeletePS: Agents in the Mineapolis Office were the ones who warned FBI Headquarters about Moussaoui in August of 2001. In fact their warning reached DCI George Tenet on August 23, 2001. Tenet was briefed with a powerpoint entitled: "Islamic Extremist Learns to Fly".
The original whistleblowers in the case were the pilots at the flight school who called the FBI in the first place.
I was just the one who exposed what had gone on that month before 9-11 which led to more comprehensive investigation of the pre 9-11 failures.
There's been a lot of water under the dam since then and the truth still isn't fully out. Most recently I tried to get a little more truth out by co-writing this piece "'Justifying' Torture: Two Big Lies."
Good one Vig.
ReplyDeleteI can overlook a lot in a person who scrutinizes American Religio-Fascist-Predators.
Grassley creepily looks like my ex-father in law in that picture (I happened to like the guy, but still it's a bit creepy)....
ReplyDeleteYou so called 'progressives' in Minneapolis are pretty clueless as to the actual dynamic of the American political system.
ReplyDeleteIn fact,, I.M.H.O., so called ''progressives'' are just about as annoying and clueless as so called ''conservatives''.
Both are political dissemblers.
Our system ... of Dingus Erectus Americans ''voting'' in staged elections for special interest group thugs... can not be reformed.
The American Political Price System TNAT info.
It can be changed into something else though that is functional.
I posted a piece last week concerning his persecution by the Iowa GOP because of his investigations into the Krazy Kristian leaders. I admire his courage and his integrity. This was a good choice Vigil.
ReplyDelete