Transcript: Sen. Harry Reid on Meet the Press | Israel, Roland Burris, The Economy | Sunday, January 4

(Source: NBC’s Meet the Press)

MR. GREGORY: And here with us now, the Senate majority leader, Harry Reid.

Welcome back to MEET THE PRESS and happy New Year.

SEN. HARRY REID (D-NV): Thank you very much.

MR. GREGORY: Let me ask you about the ground invasion into Gaza.  Do you think on the part of this Israeli–of the Israelis this was offensive or defensive?

SEN. REID: I spoke to Prime Minister Olmert a couple of days ago.  He indicated that they would do the ground activities.  Let’s understand the background.  For eight years they’ve been firing rockets into Israel.  They’ve become more intense the last few months.  Israelis have been killed, maimed and injured.  Sometimes more than 200 a day coming into Israel.  If this were going on in the United States from Vancouver, Canada, into Seattle, would we react?  Course we do.  We would have to.  I think what the Israelis are doing is very important.  I think this terrorist organization, Hamas, has got to be put away.  They’ve got to come to their senses.  The Fatah group, which is–makes up part of Palestinian group, has a peace arrangement with Israel. Hamas should do the same.

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Video: Hairy Reid’s Taint

Sen. Harry Reid on Meet the Press

Still Says Burris Appt Tainted

No Doubt About It – Lieberman is Still A Punk

… And the Senate Democrats Got Punk’d

In April of this year, when asked by a Fox Radio host whether or not Barack Obama might be a Marxist, Sen. Joe Lieberman, I-CT, replied, “I must say that’s a good question …”

He did stutter out a “I’d hesitate to say he’s a Marxist,” toward the end of an incoherent answer to the question, but come on – hesitate?  That’s a good question? 

Democrats, face it.  When Joe Lieberman went in with John McCain for president, he went all in.  That comment from April was just the beginning of a Spring, Summer and Fall’s worth of inanity from poor old Joe.  Oh, and Senate Democrats – face this.  You didn’t do the right thing and put Lieberman out on his pathetic ass and he made you all look like idiots today on Meet the Press.

Here’s one of my favorites from this mealy-mouthed, sanctimonious douche bag:

MR. BROKAW: You’ve always, as a public servant, held other people accountable. You were the only one to speak out on the floor, for example, against Bill Clinton during the time of the impeachment. Holding yourself accountable, looking back over the last six weeks, two months or so, what are the statements that you most regret?

SEN. LIEBERMAN: Well, I don’t want to go into the details. Let me just say this, I don’t regret having supported John McCain because I sincerely believed in his experience and his extraordinary record of working across party lines to get things done. …

What an ass!  Brokaw didn’t ask him if he regretted supporting John McCain.  He asked him if he had regrets over anything he said on the campaign trail.  The first thing Lieberman says in answer is essentially, “I support John McCain.”  Can someone ask this guy to shut up?  I can’t believe we had the chance to relegate him to the back benches and he’s still out there running his mouth – to no good. If you saw the interview or read the rest of the above quote or the whole transcript, you come away thinking that this guy will say anything – or nothing.

Here’s another good one:

MR. BROKAW: But you’re being judged not just by your fellow senators, but by Democrats across this country as well, because actions do have consequences. Here’s what you had to say at the Republican National Convention about the choice of Sarah Palin as a running mate, right after you disqualified, in effect, Barack Obama because he wasn’t yet ready. Here’s what you had to say about Sarah Palin.

(Videotape, September 2, 2008)

SEN. LIEBERMAN: Now, I’m honored to say just a word about the great lady that John McCain has selected as his running mate.

The truth is, she is a leader we can count on to help John shake up Washington.

That’s why I sincerely believe that the real ticket for change this year is the McCain-Palin ticket.

(End videotape)

MR. BROKAW: Did you honestly believe that she was more qualified than you–you were on the short list for John McCain at one point–or than your friend Joe Biden to be the vice president of the United States.

SEN. LIEBERMAN: It’s so sweet of you to run that clip and ask me that question this morning, Tom. Look, I, I got into this in December of 2007 to support my friend John McCain, who I’ve worked with on a host of different issues–climate change, lobbying and ethics reform, national security–because I thought he was better prepared than any of the candidates at that time–because everybody was in the race–to be the president we needed. I’m going to leave the political commentary and analysis looking backward to others. I’m focused on going ahead, now empowered to be chairman of homeland security by my colleagues in the, in the caucus and empowered to work in the caucus with the president-elect and his team to try to get our economy going again and protect our safety.

Lieberman didn’t answer the question, did he?  To answer that question honestly, he would have had to have said, “I was wrong.”  Apparently Lieberman gave up straight talk at the same time his good friend John McCain did.

Lieberman says he hasn’t felt close to the Senate Democrats since the Democratic Party supported Ned Lamont – the primary-elected Democrat in Connecticut’s 2006 U.S. Senate race.  Lieberman lost to Lamont in the primary and ran in the fall and won as an Independent.  Since then, Lieberman has more often than not cast aside Democratic ideals and policies in a two-year fit of pique. 

I wonder if this has ever occurred to Joe: If he wouldn’t have lost a Democratic primary, perhaps he would have had the support in 2006 of the Democratic Party.  It would have seemed somewhat un-democratic to not support Lamont.  Elections do mean something, Joe. 

It’s too bad this 2008 election didn’t end up meaning more for Lieberman.  Thanks, Senator Reid.

Treasury Bailing Out AIG Again

Will There Be Spa Trips and English Hunting Excursions This Time?

I sure hope the executive pigs at AIG get it this time.  After all, the last time our tax money was used to prop up their failing business, they spent hundreds of thousands on a West Coast spa and an English hunting trip.

This morning, the U.S. Dept. of Treasury announced the federal government was upping the AIG bailout ante by $40 billion — bringing the taxpayer funded tab to keep the company solvent to $150 billion.  Additionally, AIG is getting a better deal today on the interest it is paying the federal government for loans the public is backing.  As this once shining capitalist jewel becomes nationalized, that means the public accounts will reap less from the bad business decisions sown by AIG executives.

One must also remember that just weeks ago, New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo told the insurance company that he was able and willing to ‘help’ them do away with golden parachutes, executive pleasure outings and huge bonuses.  Then, U.S. Rep. Henry Waxman found that former AIG exec Joseph Cassano, who ran the company’s financial products section into the ground and left AIG in February was being paid $1 million a month – for nothing – even as the company slurped up taxpayers’ money. Read more

Sunday Papers – November 9, 2008

New York Times Magazine

• After the Imperial Presidency– Jonathan Mahler
• Payday Lenders, Check Cashers – Redeemed?– Douglas McGray
• Deprogramming Jihadists– Katherine Zoepf

New York Times

• Obama team weighs what to take on first
• Harsh words about Obama? Never mind
• Citing workload public lawyers refuse new cases
• How Merrill fell
• Pelosi, Reid want aid for U.S. automakers
• Op-Ed, Frank Rich: It still felt good morning after
• Op-Ed, Al Gore: The climate for change
• Op-Ed, Thomas Friedman: Show me the money
• Op-Ed, Nicholas Kristof: Obama and the War on Brains
• Rice visits West Bank
• U.S. electricity project in Afghanistan
• Back home, Palin finds landscape changed
• After push for Obama, Unions seek new rules

Washington Post

• Preparing for the Obama era
• Reid, Pelosi urge Treasury to extend aid to automakers
• Self-sufficiency evades Iraqi security forces
• Obama positioned to reverse Bush actions
• Medvedev calls Obama; Kremlin describes call
• Congressional Democrats say economy first priority
• Op-Ed, Rich Lowry: The right needs to get centered
• Op-Ed, Joseph Stiglitz: More pain to come even if he’s perfect
• Op-Ed, Ron Suskind: U.S. has power – it could use authority
• Op-Ed, David Broder: Governors know best
• Op-Ed, George Will: Democratic ironies and Republican Afflictions

Los Angeles Times

• Democrats set sights on Texas
• Public works on the table once again
• Obama relies on a close-knit inner circle
• Op-Ed, Norman Ornstein: The GOP’s deep hole
• Op-Ed, James Rainey: Right-wing media feeds its post-election anger
• Political blogger be nimble, be quick
• Election leaves gay couple feeling isolated

Bailout Deal Bullet Points & Coverage – Sunday A.M.

Bush Administration and Congressional officials came to terms on the proposed $700 billion Wall Street bailout early Sunday morning reports the New York Times, Washington Post, and other media outlets. Find clips of the stories this morning after the bullet points of the deal’s terms. The media are reporting that Congressional staff worked through the early morning hours of Sunday and will continue to work until the deal is in bill form. Votes in both houses of Congress are expected late Sunday or early Monday.

Highpoints of Bailout Deal

• The $700 billion would not be released in its entirety at once. Funds would be made available to Treasury in a first installment of $250 billion, a second installment of $100 billion, and a final installment of $350 billion. Congress would have the right of refusal at each step of the process.
• Pay limits will be put in place for executives of companies who make use of the government bailout.
• A Congressional oversight panel will be empowered to oversee Administration and Treasury implementation of the bailout.
• In some cases, the federal government will receive an equity stake in companies participating in the bailout.
• Conflict-of-interest rules will be implemented for firms who contract to help Treasury run the bailout.

Bailout News

• Breakthrough reached in negotiations on bailout – New York Times
• Lawmakers reach tentative deal on bailout – Washington Post
• Lawmakers reach deal on bailout – Wall Street Journal
• U.S. reaches outline bailout deal – Financial Times
• U.S. Congress reaches tentative deal on bailout – Xinhua